An Abjune's Rokugami
by TheIndigoGirl
Summary: When you're a Kurosaki, you have a very loose interpretation of the word 'normal'. I 'normally' see dead people. I 'normally' have an urge to strangle my overprotective older brother. I 'normally' resign myself to a life of increasing insanity. But this? Even by a Kurosaki's liberal standards, 'normal' is something this definitely was not. OCxMulti. Sis fic. Rated T for now.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello folks, and welcome to my story. I tried to keep in tone with the show as best I could, so there will be general, inexplicable insanity mixed in with substantiated plot. It's silly, it's fun, try not to take it too seriously, as the premise of it** _ **is**_ **rather ludicrous, but whatever, that's what makes it fun.**

 **So a couple things you need to know before we begin: This is slight AU, and I want to note that aside from the most obvious differences, you will see that the main cast has been aged up by two years - you'll realize why it would be gross if my main character was any younger. This is a sister fic, of course. Hiwarai is Ichigo's sister, who is younger by eleven months. Also, it is OCxMulti, and that means in this story, there are going to be six male partners. So, it's a reverse harem. I've never really done unconventional relationships, so this should be interesting. I'll try to make it as not ridiculous as possible, but, eh, that's kinda what makes it so delightful to write. The absurdity is almost endearing. Anywho, the fellas are going to be: Ikkaku Madarame, Renji Abarai, Kenpachi Zaraki, Byakuya Kuchiki, Hisagi Shuuhei, and Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez.**

 **I hope you stick with me, and enjoy this wild ride. Thanks for reading!**

 **TheIndigoGirl**

 **Disclaimer: I do not, and will not ever own rights to Bleach. The OC, unfamiliar plot dynamics, and overall story concept are mine, though.**

Chapter 1

Some days, it really isn't difficult to imagine there being another world beyond this one. All you need to do is stare at those immense thunderclouds, scuttling across the sky like giant floating islands, to know exactly what I mean. It's as though, if you could only reach them, it would be all too easy to step from this realm and into the next. That's when I can really see the merit of the Christian Theology regarding heaven. When you raise your palm toward the sky and watch those white masses through spread fingers, it's quite easy to suddenly find yourself wondering if there might be something more.

Of course, being a Kurosaki meant I already knew that there _was_ something more out there, but even then, awareness is very different from understanding. I lowered my hand and ran it through my dark bangs, puffing out a sigh as I did so.

I maybe wasn't able to see the full apparitions that my brother, Ichigo could, but what I did see on a day to day basis left me with little doubt: There was life after death. Or maybe I should say existence. For me, the dead were little more than figures made of smoke, lit from within by their Soul Fires. In the living, that colorful flame radiates from their core and creates a visible aura, but absent of their flesh, to me at least, souls appear as little more than walking torches.

This Sight, my gift, is more than auras and spirits, though. My brother sees ghosts, but I, if only for a second, see entire worlds. Glimpses, ever so brief glimpses in the mirror or in still water, of realms beyond our own. Each time I do, I don't know, I feel something that can only be called longing tug at my soul; almost…almost like it's calling to me. I know it's irrational, but then, so is seeing other worlds in the first place.

Ichigo doesn't believe me – which seems honestly narrow-minded for someone who regularly helps the dead pass on. Although, I guess that he _has_ been more open to the idea lately. A lot more.

Another weird thing is that my over-protective sibling has forgone his favorite pastime – looming menacingly over my shoulder – in favor of spending more and more time with the tiny exchange student, Rukia Kuchiki. He's been hard pressed to let me out of his sight after our mother died, but lately, that constant guard has become rather lax. Not that I'm complaining, but it _is_ rather odd.

In the months before Rukia's appearance he'd been particularly suffocating. As a sixteen (almost seventeen) year old girl in her final year of high school, I've found that it is incredibly difficult to have a social life when your brother is Ichigo Kurosaki. Especially when one wants to be social with boys. He's protective of our two sisters as well, but they have the good luck of being four years younger. That means that they get to go to a completely different school. I, however, am only eleven months younger than Ichigo, so, not only do I have to go to the same school, but I also have nearly every single class with him.

But, hey, with him spending more and more time with Rukia, I might actually have a chance to make decent conversation with a male who isn't either related to me or dead.

"Oi, what are you doing over here?!"

I heard the familiar shout a short ways behind me and sighed. The man has a sixth sense for more than ghosts. I so much as _think_ about talking to a guy and he's breathing down my neck.

"Are you crazy, Hiwarai? Sitting here all alone…. Something could of happened!" Ichigo grumbled as he plopped down beside me a few moments later. A deep 'hmm' of agreement sounded from my other side where I assume Chad (the only non-related male allowed to hangout with me due to his gentle nature and complete obliviousness to the opposite sex) now sat.

I didn't respond, and instead gifted my overbearing sibling with the full effect of my silent fuming. He really is too much sometimes. Sitting alone on a grassy hill is nowhere near dangerous enough to warrant a scolding. Several minutes passed in silence before Ichigo seemed to realize that I wasn't going to acknowledge him. He growled, ripping up some grass and throwing it at me, smirking when that managed to earn him a glare. "You should be more careful," he said, hefting his book bag around so he could dig a snack out.

"If you would stop trying to wrap me in bubble wrap, I just might, but until then, I will be suitably reckless, " I snapped, snatching at the fruit chews he passed my way, absently offering one to Chad before the redhead had a chance to.

"That's stupid," he countered. "The more danger prone you are, the more I'm gonna try and protect you. If you want me to back off, then you've gotta –,"

"Become a hermit, maybe open up a temple in the mountains for solitude and chastity."

"Well, I mean, you don't have to go that far, but I'm certainly not going to stop you," my brother chuckled.

"You're impossible," I grunted. "So…where's Rukia?"

I glanced up in time to see the blush on my brother's face and couldn't resist grinning.

"Uh, we're gonna meet up with her later," he muttered, coughing into his hand as he awkwardly changed the subject. "What about you? Why are you hanging out here? I thought I told you to wait for me in front of the school."

"What made you think I'd actually do as you say?" I remarked cheekily, smiling when Chad offered me a flower he'd plucked off the hill. Twirling it in my fingers, I nodded at him in thanks, "Besides, I like this place. It's peaceful."

"It's boring," he snidely replied, nudging my hip with his foot as he stood. "Come on, brat. Let's get moving."

He pulled me to my feet, away from the quite hillside and any musings on other worlds done there. As I walked, I told Chad about the new mask I'd just acquired. The tall teen nodded politely, but Ichigo snorted, "Anyone ever tell you that collecting masks is a rather weird hobby, especially when those masks are as creepy as yours?"

"They're cool," I defended.

"How many do you have?" Chad asked, gentle voice a complete contrast to his great stature.

I beamed up at him for his unexpected interest, "Six, if you include the one I just got. You want to see?"

"You brought that thing with you?" Ichigo cried incredulously.

I ignored my brother and tugged the mask from my book bag so I could show our large friend, "See! Isn't he incredible?"

I held the mask out, but Chad respectfully kept his hands to himself, opting to simply look instead. I followed his eyes and gazed fondly at my mask's snarling countenance. The bone-like material it was made from had been painted mostly red, with intricate black facial markings and curved ebony horns. Though there weren't any scales, the features themselves were distinctly those of a snake.

"It is very nice," he said gently. I rewarded Chad with another warm smile.

"I only pick ones that are completely unique," I looked down at the mask, tracing the vicious visage delicately with my fingers. "He's an excellent addition."

"He?" Chad queried, bemusement obvious in his voice.

I blushed, gnawing on my lip, "Uh, yeah, all the masks seem rather masculine. I just got in the habit of referring to them as 'he' or by their name. This one…this one is Honaka."

"Honaka," Chad hummed as he mused upon the name, he glanced down at me with that expressionless face of his. "Red Bone?"

I nodded sheepishly, "I know it's sorta on the nose, but I think it fits him rather well."

"You know you sound like a crazy person when you talk like that, right?" My sibling piped in as we turned another block.

"Oh, bite me," I hissed, hugging the carved wood to my chest almost protectively, but Ichigo offered no further comment. He seemed to enjoy teasing me for my hobby more than possessing an actual dislike for it. "I know they're not real. But sometimes they do feel…alive."

Chad peered through his thick curly hair at the mask in my hands, "Yes…I agree."

This time I felt like he wasn't just humoring me. For some reason, it unsettled me. I tucked my Honaka away gently, and decided not to linger on those quiet words or the knot they left in my stomach.

At that moment, we turned another corner and all three of us stopped short. The square was saturated in a heavy, dark malevolence that made the air so thick, it was almost hard to breathe. It felt, I don't know how else to explain it…hungry. Hateful and hungry.

"Chad, get my sister out of here," Ichigo said lowly, in a tone I'd never heard him use before. His face was stark and severe, the playful gleam in his eyes replaced by something sharper and almost frightening.

"What? I'm not going anywhere! Ichigo, what's happening?"

"Chad, go!" My brother growled, not even acknowledging the question. The tallest of us turned in my direction, likely intending to scoop me up, but before he could take a step, a form shot out from a growing rift in the sky and slammed into him. Shocked, I watched as both went tumbling away and into an alley, knocking down trashcans as they skidded across concrete.

A sudden shout had me turning back to see another careening in my direction. Before I could react, a figure stepped before me. Smoke rippled as the being stood protectively before me and met the oncoming mass. The hell? A ghost fighting another ghost?

The spirit in front of me pushed the other, slightly darker smoke being away.

From the corner of my eye, I noticed a flash of orange as my brother rose to his feet. I started for him, concerned. When had he fallen? Had he been attacked?

"I-ichigo?" I asked, only to stop in my tracks when he turned my way.

He seemed…off. Physically, he looked the same as always, but the sight of him had my instincts screaming. _Something_ was wrong – but what? It took me a dazed moment to realize that it was his aura. What was usually a swirl of bright reds and golds was now murky amber. I felt my eyes widen when I realized that the Soul inhabiting my brother's body wasn't Ichigo's.

It was impossible. He couldn't be…possessed, could he?

My eyes darted between the being inhabiting Ichigo and the smoke creatures that fought in front of us. I didn't know how to banish a spirit and I certainly didn't know how to fight one. The sudden surge of helplessness was an unfamiliar and punishing weight on my shoulders. What the hell was I supposed to do? What the hell _could_ I do?

Before I could make a decision, the being wearing my sibling's face reached out for me and I took several startled steps back. The not-Ichigo frowned; it stopped and I stared at it warily.

"I don't know who you are, but you better get out of my brother right this minute!" I commanded, forcing my voice not to waver. Its eyes bulged in surprise at my words.

I hadn't noticed, but I'd moved so far from this imposter, that I'd wandered back into range of the fighting smoke forms. When the darker of the pair took a unexpected swipe at me, I leapt away with an embarrassingly girly squeak.

"Stay back, Hiwarai! Don't let these things touch you!"

That was my brother's voice, but it certainly hadn't come from the person in front of me. Disbelievingly, I turned toward the human shaped smoke-form – a spirit whose Soul Fire burned a bright golden red. Wait…What? That couldn't be…

"Ichigo!?" I said sharply, as I took a step toward the source of that voice.

"What part of _stay back_ didn't you understand?!" The man shaped smoke-form in front of me barked as he clashed with the multi-limbed shape of the other. That was definitely Ichigo's voice.

My jaw dropped, horror pulsing down my spine, "Are you…are you dead?"

He couldn't be, though. Spirits can't possess dead bodies. But you can't be a ghost and still be alive, right?

"What?! No. Why would you think that?"

Instantly relieved, but also irritated, I snapped, "Because you're a _ghost_ , moron!"

"Huh? Oh, yeah," he grunted, pushing away another smoke-form as the last one he'd slashed faded into the wind. I assumed that meant he'd killed it. "You can't really see me like this, right?"

"No, you're all smoky."

"That's weird."

"Want to explain?"

"Not particularly."

I hmphed as my sibling dispatched the second shadow. He engaged a third and a fourth trickled out directly after it. "Kone, grab Hiwarai and get her out of here."

He'd directed the command at the spirit in his body. I blurted, "You know this guy?" as the spirit, Kone, said, "Um, I don't think that's an option anymore."

"Sure it is. Just toss her over your shoulder and run."

"No, I mean we literally _can't_!"

"Huh?" My brother and I looked back to where Kone was pointing, only to see a gigantic version of the creatures Ichigo was fighting coming through another rift behind us. "Oh crap! Uh…don't worry. I got this."

"It's not that I doubt you – I am actually mildly impressed – but seriously, what do I do? Can I fight these things? I mean, what are they? Are they ghosts? They don't feel like – ack!"

I jumped out the way of a smoke-form, scrambling to my brother's side. Ichigo tugged me close as he spun to confront the odd creature. I was briefly amazed that the hand gripping my upper arm felt solid. I'd half expected his fingers to pass right through me, like most spirits.

Speaking of spirits…

My eyes caught on an orange-haired figure as it flailed only a meter or two away from us. Watching this 'Kone' leap about with undignified squeals of terror actually did a lot to comfort me. The sight was extra amusing since he inhabited my brother's body. The guy wasn't the least bit capable, but I had to give him kudos for being nimble. Kone, not Ichigo. Well, Ichigo was nimble, but he was also capable – at least as far as I could see. I mean, it was a little hard to tell when he was made of smoke. But, you know…

Ugh, this whole thing was giving me a headache.

"Okay," I muttered, feeling extremely dazed. "Um, this is very strange."

"I know, sis. Just, uh, I don't know…stick close and duck when I tell you to duck. These guys are Hollows and you can't really do much to them, but they can hurt you, so don't try to fight them."

I winced as a screaming 'Hollow' was cut lengthwise by whatever my sibling had in his hands, "Hollows? What the hell are hollows?"

"Not really the time to explain Hiwarai!"

"R-right, sorry. Slash away!"

"Thanks," he said with gruff amusement. As he spun back and forth, I had time to marvel at this 'other' that my brother had become. I was quick to guess that this was what he'd been hiding, but then, why had he kept it from me?

"Oh shit! Watch out!" Ichigo shouted as the giant figure Kone had spotted earlier slammed a fist into the pavement in front of us. I slipped out of my brother's hold as he jumped away and tumbled across the road. I winced and scrambled to my feet as pain arched across my nerves. I looked down, hissing out a breath at the sight of raw, red scrapes on my knees and upper shins. My uniform skirt had done almost nothing to protect my legs.

Trying to shake off the pain, I looked over at Ichigo as he battled the big smoke-form – I mean, Hollow. It was hard to tell when he was little more than smoke, but he didn't look hurt.

My brother seemed to notice my crouched form, as he yelled over to me, "Hang on, Hiwarai! I'm on my way!"

"No, no…take your time," I wheezed, waving away his concern. "I'm fine."

I glanced down at myself with a wince. Okay, maybe that wasn't completely true, but a couple bumps and bruises were hardly life-threatening.

"Hiwarai! You gotta – Ah!"

My head snapped up at Ichigo's scream of pain, pulse slowing to an icy crawl at the sight of his smoke-form skipping across pavement. When he skidded to a stop four feet to my left, I bolted to his side with a terrified whisper of, "Ichigo…"

I couldn't tell if he was just dazed or unconscious, but his prone form didn't respond to my increasingly desperate cries.

"Please," my voice was a splintered mess of fear and despair, "You have to get up. I-it's coming…"

I stared over at the massive, lumbering Hollow that had batted my brother away like he was little more than a bothersome gnat, tears pooling in my eyes. He shouldn't have gotten hurt, but he'd been distracted. By _me_. I clutched at my unresponsive sibling as those tears spilled over, watching as the monster made his way toward us, slowly, leisurely – tauntingly.

"We can't die like this," I murmured, " _You_ can't die like this. Not…not because of me."

My desperate eyes scanned the empty square, already knowing that there would be nothing there to see. No one was coming to help us. I was on my own. I stood shakily to my feet, fighting my nausea as millions of stray thoughts merged into one, certain one: I had to protect him.

I well understood that a crying teenage girl didn't stand a chance against this creature, yet it hardly mattered. I wouldn't, no…I _refused_ to abandon my brother.

It wasn't a logical thing to do; it wasn't even a sane thing to do, but something told me, as I went to stand between my brother and the Hollow, that it was the _right_ thing to do. There was even a nagging, distant part of me that whispered: "It'll be okay."Considering my situation, I had every reason to doubt it, and yet…I was oddly comforted. So I swung my bag up in front of me and clutched it close like a shield; allowing myself this tiny bit of hope…this tiny bit of faith.

As if sensing my resolve, the hollow picked up speed, roaring out a noise that shook the ground. Chills swept through my gut, my legs locked and body trembling. All I could do was stand there as it closed the distance between us. Maybe it was delirium or perhaps even shock that had me absently noting just how much the term 'Hollow' fit this creature. The spirit's smoky mass roiled with cinder and hot ash, as though someone had attempted to stomp out the blaze of its Soul Flame and scatter the remnants to the wind. At its core, there was nothing left but a dim glow, little more than dying coals.

Something about it seemed almost familiar…

A pained groan from behind me cut into that stray thought, reminding me that there was someone precious on the line here. As I stood in the path of the monster, defenseless and comically small, I felt that internal fire in my chest crackle. With each of the Hollow's steps, that flame grew a little hotter and a little hotter, until that small flame had become an inferno. The heat of my soul was almost physically suffocating, burning outward instead of inward – like it was trying to escape. I was torn between fear of the Hollow rampaging in my direction and the fear that I was about to spontaneously combust. Either way, I was certain that 'horrible death' lie in my future.

Then, at that moment, something that had been lying dormant beneath my skin all my life came surging to the surface. Whatever it was, it pulsed and hummed deep in my core, a place beneath flesh, beneath bone, beneath substance. It ripped and it roared, it kissed and it fluttered. It writhed from my pores, without sense or substance, all the while destroying me, remaking me. A fire that doesn't even exist somehow burning me to ash.

It was as though something had been…released.

Suddenly that energy snapped back upon me and I felt something hard affix itself to my face. Startled, I reached up a hand and felt contours that weren't my own, "What…?"

"Hiwarai!"

My head snapped up at Ichigo's shout, eyes widening as I realized that it was a warning. I had a split, distracted second to absorb the fact that the giant hollow was still bearing down on me. Instinctively, I raised my arms in front of myself, turned my head away and braced for impact. Energy crackled up from my arms, into my hands, and even behind closed eyes I could see the flash of blue light.

I felt the energy jump from my hands and immediately afterwards heard something howl. My eyes popped open, head spinning, as I tried to absorb what I was seeing. First of all, the Hollow was no longer a smoke-form mass with a broken soul, but some hideous, nightmare combination of a bear and an insect. I sort of had a feeling that that was how it had always looked, even before a hole had been blown straight through its chest. The Hollow's jaw worked soundlessly as it stared down at the still smoking crater until its legs gave way beneath it. I watched, stunned, as it twitched a half dozen more times before stilling completely.

There was another flash of blue light that had me looking down. My stomach lurched into my throat at the sight of bizarre, electric blue fire crackling across my hands.

"Ah!" I yelped, waving my arms about at the sight of the fiery substance, the action only growing more frantic when it refused to go out. "What is _happening_!"

"Whoa, Hiwarai! You totally killed that thing!" Ichigo exclaimed as he wobbled into my field of vision, rubbing at his head. "Hey…what's on your face? And what's with the blue hair?"

"I don't know Ichigo, I'm a little busy being _on fire_!"I shrieked. "Help me!"

"Hey, hey, calm down," he said soothingly. "Uh, I don't think that's actual fire. It's not hurting you, is it?"

I forced myself to still and actually feel my arms. He was right! It didn't hurt…

"See," my brother said gently. "There, can you, um, pull your energy into yourself?"

I shook my head numbly, but tried to focus on the flickering, lightening like fire on my hands and arms anyway. When nothing happened, I stared pleadingly up at Ichigo, voice cracking as I said, "I can't. I don't know what to do! Why is this happening?"

I hated the panic in my voice. I could feel myself crumbling, pieces falling away faster than I could catch them. How long ago had it been since the world felt reasonably sane? It felt like hours, though I knew it had to have been only minutes. Within that time, there'd been no chance to stop and comprehend. I was at the mercy of a moment, and waiting for it to pass was tearing me apart.

"Come on, sis. You just took on a giant, monster beast and _now_ you're freaking out?" His exasperation suddenly became anger as he scowled down at me, "By the way, you are never allowed to do anything like that ever again. I almost had a heart attack when I woke up to see you standing there, that freaking Hollow charging for you. Tell me, are you crazy or just stupid?"

"I saved your life," I growled weakly, too drained to muster actual offense in the face of his genuine worry.

"You don't know that," he huffed. "I had everything under control."

My expression must have been suitably disbelieving, because his instantly became haughty, "Whatever, just wait here and work on that flame shit. I gotta go take care of that last Hollow."

I followed his gaze to where the remaining creature eyed us hatefully. The thing must have come through after the big guy went down, because I hadn't noticed it until now. It was wolf-like, almost rabid looking, and staring at it sent unease skittering down my spine. It snarled at me and my brother, and the sight of its teeth had me wishing it would go back to being nothing more than smoke and cinders.

"Oh," I said, swiveling my head to stare at my brother in realization. "I can see you."

As he paused mid-step to look back at me, I noticed that, for some reason, he was wearing different clothes in his spirit form. When was the last time he was in a hakama… willingly? The traditional garb seemed fitting, though, what with the giant, slate grey sword in his hands. I didn't even know what to call the blade. It certainly wasn't a katana.

I waggled my still flaming fingers in the air as I tried to summon the right words in my exhausted brain, "I can see you, even though you're a spirit. You aren't just smoke! I can see the hollow too."

"Oh. Whoa. Cool," he said lamely. "Uh, speaking of that hollow…"

"What? Oh, yeah, go slay that guy," I waved him forward. He smirked for whatever reason and walked quickly over to the wolf beast. I only recalled that the idiot might still be injured when he slammed a giant sword through its skull. He no longer moved like he'd just been knocked unconscious. I mean he'd only been out for a couple of minutes, but still…

He jogged back over my way with a big grin on his face, and I came to the conclusion that he hadn't suffered any long term damage, what with that hard head of his. It was a little weird to me, that a spirit could be injured the same way a physical body could, but I didn't feel up to deciphering _that_ heap of insanity right this moment.

Ichigo frowned down at my still blazing hands as he slowed to a stop in front of me. He started to reach out for me but I whimpered, tucking my arms against my chest, "Don't touch me! I don't want to hurt you…"

"Okay, shh," he said, raising his arms in a placating manor and taking a step back. This patience and gentleness was a definite contrast to his usual brusque demeanor. "Don't worry, we can figure this out. You just have to calm down."

"I don't know if I can," I hiccupped, soft sobs pushing up behind my breast. I'd kept them at bay the best I could, but the stress was definitely taking its toll.

"Of course you can," he stated arrogantly. "It's no weirder than any of the other weird things we've had to deal with. We see dead people, Hiwarai. Manipulating soul energy is probably the least odd thing that's ever happened to you."

I laughed wetly, "That's not even the least bit true…but, thanks Ichigo."

Even if what he said had been inaccurate, he still had a point. We led abnormal lives, and this was just one more abnormal thing. I could deal with this – just like I'd dealt with seeing smoke-forms and auras and worlds far away from our own.

I took deep, even breaths, focusing on the energy that seeped from my core and coalesced into writhing fire on my skin. I envisioned each breath pulling that energy back into myself, and watched, amazed, as the blue slowly flickered out. When it was finally gone, I sank down to my haunches in relief.

I pulled my legs up into my chest, laughing a little hysterically. I laid my forehead on my scuffed up knees, near instantly jerking back when something harder than my face bumped against the wounds.

In a daze, I reached up and pressed my fingers against…wood? I wrenched my pack into my lap with a gasp of, "I can't believe I forgot!"

"Huh? What did you forg – Oh shit! I forgot Chad! I'll be right back." I barely even registered my brother bounding off to where we'd last seen Chad, too focused on the hand mirror I drew from my bag with shaking fingers.

I slowly opened the case, and nearly dropped it at the image that reflected back at me. Atop my own features was a mask, and an incredibly familiar one at that. That white porcelain mask was unmistakable! After all, its feline features and mane of electric blue hair were the reason I'd name him Nekomi (for sea-cat). He was the first mask I'd ever collected, and last time I'd seen him, he'd been hanging on the wall over my bed.

"How can this…you can't be here, I left you at home!" I whispered fiercely at the demon in the mirror. It was just like him, it couldn't be a coincidence. It had to be him, but how?

"You never left me anywhere, I've always been here…in your soul."

This time I did drop the mirror.

…Uh.

That didn't just happen. Of course it didn't. Masks don't talk. I'm just tired. That's all.

After a few moments spent in denial, I reached down to pick up the now cracked hand mirror and raise it back up slowly. I gawped at the reflection as the already enormous, Cheshire-like grin on Nekomi's face widened.

"Startled you, did I? Can't say I'm sorry, or that I didn't enjoy seeing that look on your face."

He can't even see my face.

"Course I can. I'm pure energy composed of your soul. I don't need eyes to see." His lips curled over sharp teeth, each word posed with almost carnal delight. Wait…

"I didn't say that out loud! How did you…?"

A dark chuckle tumbled out and his grin turned a little wicked, "I'm part of you, just like I said. I can hear _anything_ and _everything_ in your head, whether you say it out loud or not."

My eyes narrowed at the beast, certain that I didn't like the suggestive undertone to that statement. He stared back at me from the mirror, dancing sky blue eyes with their all too inhuman pupils.

 _If that is supposed to mean what I think it means, I'm going to smash you into a thousand pieces._ I thought deliberately at it…him…whatever.

His snicker convinced me that my thought went through, loud and clear, but before I could rip him off and stomp on him, he purred, "Even if you threw my mask into a volcano it wouldn't do you any good. I'd just reform and pop back into existence any time I want. I'm made from your _soul_. I'm sorry to say that you're stuck with me."

"You don't sound particularly sorry at all," I said dryly, a little depressed by his words and the glee with which they were delivered. I felt an angry tick form just over my eye when his laugh dropped an octave lower then naughty and became pure sin. I refused to acknowledge that the sound sent something hot and foreign sliding into my gut. I shook my head sharply, tossing the sensation to the back of my skull before staring down into the mirror with a frown.

I cleared my throat uncomfortably, not really sure how to process this whole situation or how to react to it. I should be accustomed to weird, crazy shit happening in my life by now. "So, um, that energy – the blue flame stuff – that was _you_?"

"Well, technically us, but that's the power I, specifically, give you. Each of us, when called upon – worn, I should say – grant you one power, one ability and a weapon. When we have the time and space to practice them, I will go into greater detail, but until then, all you need to know is that what you used was my power."

"Each of us?" I echoed. "Are you talking about the other masks? Are they alive, too?"

"Still sharp I see; glad your brains didn't leave along with your manners. I've yet to hear a 'thank you' for, you know, saving your life and all," Nekomi grumbled, ear flicking in irritation.

I quirked an eyebrow, "Oh? I thought you were part of my soul? Couldn't you say that I saved myself?"

"You'd write me off as a technicality?"He growled. "Low blow."

"I'm not the one trying to undermine my own logic," I shrugged, a smile creeping on my face at the sight of his pouting. "Anyway, you were talking about the other masks…?"

He saw fit to glower at me as he reluctantly explained, "Yes, the other six are alive, but they're all inactive. Of the Rokugami, I'm the only one you can currently use."

"Rokugami?" I whispered in amazement. Did that mean they really had called to me? Or did my soul somehow bestow sentience upon them? Each one did seem to have its own personality – even from the moment I'd first gotten them. I hadn't thought anything of it, of their warmth, and the sense that if they could, they'd talk back. I'd brushed it off as an active imagination, loneliness, or something like that. I'd never once thought my instincts would be so on point.

Nekomi hummed, "Now that you're power is no longer dormant, I can come to you at any time. In fact, since I'm composed of spirit energy, only those capable of seeing spirits would know you're wearing me."

I slumped, "You aren't some kind of crazy dream, right? You're really real, aren't you?"

"Bet your sweet ass I am."

"Look, Hiwarai! I found him," My brother shouted abruptly, tearing through my offense at Nekomi's words. I looked over to see the Chad's arm slung over his shoulder. He appeared a little worse for the wear, but nothing too critical jumped out at me. I rushed over to the two of them, anyway, "Is he okay?!"

"Yeah, he's alright," Ichigo grinned, that baffling love for violence and danger only boys ever seemed to have shining brightly in his eyes. "Man, you should have seen him thrashin' the hell out of these Hollows. Chad's got a right hook like you wouldn't believe."

Thoroughly convinced that men were crazy, I said, "Okay, sure, whatever you say. We should still patch him up in the clinic anyway."

My orange-haired sibling shrugged, "Yeah, yeah."

I rolled my eyes. For someone who was raised by a doctor, he sure has a poor bedside manner. Of course, our father was nearly as emotionally stunted as Ichigo, so it wasn't necessarily a surprise.

"I am fine, Hiwarai," Chad said, before shaking his head as if in regret. "I'm sorry I couldn't help you, though. There was another pocket of Hollows around the next corner."

I canted my head to the side, "Don't worry about it, Chad. You definitely had your hands full enough, by the sound of it. Even with Ichigo getting knocked out, things went as well as they could."

"Ichigo was knocked out?" Chad asked, scratching at his gravel encrusted scalp.

"So, uh, you gonna take that mask off anytime soon?" He asked hurriedly, changing the subject as his cheeks tinged red.

I can't believe I forgot about Nekomi! My mind was a chaotic mess; though, with all that's happened, can you really blame me? I reached up and tried tugging him away, but it was like trying to pull my own face off.

"Um, one second," I turned away from Ichigo and raised the mirror once more. _Okay, how do I get rid of you?_

"So eager to see me gone? I'm hurt," the mask said, grin belying this supposed agony.

"Oh, be quiet! I can't walk around like this forever you know!" I hissed at the mirror.

"Who are you talking to?" Ichigo grumbled from where he was sprawled on the sidewalk beside a silent Chad. I noticed, then, that he was in his real body again. I didn't know when he'd returned to it, or for that matter, where that Kone guy had gone. To be honest, I was still too freaked out about that whole situation to ask.

"Um, Nekomi," I murmured a moment later in answer to Ichigo's question.

"Nekomi?" He looked at me, puzzled, before he realized what I talking about. "Your mask? Masks don't talk, Hiwarai."

"Most don't, yeah, but Nekomi isn't just a mask."I felt my brow furrow as I looked his way, "Wait, can't you hear him?"

"Did you hit your head when I pushed you or something?"

 _Ugh, why can't he hear you?_ "Say something!"

"Say what?" Ichigo asked, confused.

"He can't hear me unless I let him hear me," The mask replied, an edge to his voice that led me to believe that he wasn't too fond of Ichigo.

"Well, then let him hear you!"

"What the hell, Hiwarai. This isn't funny," my sibling sat up, full out glaring now.

"Shut it, Ichigo. I'm not talking to you," I snapped at my brother as I waited for Nekomi to comply.

"I don't think so. That brat's obnoxious enough as he is; I don't relish the idea of just how much more so he could be if he knew I was aware."

"I don't relish the idea of him thinking I'm crazy; now do as I say," I was starting to get impatient – he was part of my soul, wasn't he? _You are_ mine _; my soul, my mask, and you will do as I say._

Nekomi practically cooed, "I can't tell you how much I love being called yours, but still…no. I'm my own conscious spirit, an extension of your soul yes, but still separate enough to make my own decisions. And I'm deciding not to reveal the extent of my existence to flame-top over there."

"Uh, you know what? Fine. I don't care. Let him think I'm crazy. It won't be the first time he didn't believe me. You can just… you can just go away. I'll deal with you later," I yelled into the mirror, only growing more enraged when I realized that the spirit mask was merely amused by the show of temper.

"You know, you're cute when you're mad," Nekomi smirked at me from the mirror.

I blushed, flustered, because no one had _ever_ talked to me the way the mask spirit did. "Just…just g-get out of here you perv!"

There was a warm chuckle that seemed to echo through dimensions as he said, "Later, kitten."

With those startlingly familiar words, I felt the mask tighten and begin to glow before it burst apart in a blaze of blue fire, disappearing entirely. I sighed, relieved that he was gone, even as I wondered why that last bit had sent pangs of recognition through my soul. There was a memory inside me, one I could only just touch. That word pulsed through my mind in a teasingly rich voice, all the while accompanied by the blaze of ocean blue eyes. Before I could sink deeper and pull the memory forth, Ichigo interrupted with, "You done being a crazy pants?"

I was about five seconds from strangling my sibling and he seemed not at all concerned by it. I settled for throwing the pocket mirror at him. It went wide, but the action made me feel a bit better.

"I'm not crazy, jerk," I howled at him. "Nekomi just doesn't like you. It's a sentiment I'm beginning to share!"

"Aw, come one," the orange top teen hopped to his feet, padding over to me with a slight pout. "You know I'm just glad you're okay, right?"

Sighing softly, I reached out to hug the idiot. I felt the anger drain from my body as I slumped against him.

"Thank you, Ichigo," I murmured into his shirt. "For protecting me."

"Well, you changed your tune pretty quick," he pulled away slightly to smirk down at me. I stuck my tongue out childishly and he laughed.

"You really worried me, you know that? I thought you were going to _die_ ," I whapped him on the chest.

He looked guiltily away, "Sorry…and thanks, you know, for saving my ass back there."

"You big Galoof," I teased with a warm smile. Shows of humility from Ichigo were rare, and actual gratitude was even rarer still. "As if I'd let you become some Hollow's chew toy."

He flicked me in the forehead, "Psh, as if. I'm a badass."

I rubbed at the abused spot with a scowl, "Badass or not, why didn't you tell me about this? How long has all this stuff been going on?"

"Not long," He grumbled sheepishly, "And I thought you'd be safer if you didn't know…"

"You were wrong," I whispered quietly, no heat in my voice.

"I know," he sighed. "It all started a couple months back and…do you remember that truck that slammed into the house while you were having a sleepover with Orihime and Tatsuki?"

"Yeah," I nodded, recalling the horror of having returned home only to see a giant whole in what was once the dining room.

"Well, it wasn't a truck…"

As we both hauled our large Hispanic friend toward the clinic, Ichigo went on to explain all the happenings of recent months and I tried my best to keep from freaking out. Especially when I learned that the rest of my family had been attacked a second time at our mother's grave. Not only did they all now know about Hollows, but because I'd been in bed that day with the flu, I hadn't been told what had happened. It was infuriating and frightening all at once. They'd all tried to keep me safe, but in the end, a confrontation with the Hollows had been inevitable.

After we got Chad patched up, Ichigo passed out on the couch, and my eyes began to feel all too heavy themselves. I tucked a blanket around my sibling and trudged up the steps to my room. I collapsed on the bed, bone weary and depleted. I slept that night with my masks, my Rokugami, standing silent sentinel.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Sorry if this one skips bits, I figured you didn't need a play by play of a show you've already seen when there is other stuff to get into. I also decided not to do a training montage with Nekomi, and just do a skim through. Hopefully, I still put plenty of interaction between them. Thanks for all the favs and follows guys! Please enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not, and will not ever own rights to Bleach. The OC, unfamiliar plot dynamics, and overall story concept are mine, though.**

Chapter 2

Three days later Rukia Kuchiki vanished.

Ichigo said that she had returned to Soul Society, but his despondent, bare basics rundown of her departure told me that it hadn't been willingly. Still trying to accustom myself to the reality I'd been abruptly and violently thrust into, I didn't particularly know how to take the news. On one hand, I was legitimately upset that Rukia was gone – she'd become like something of a sister these past few months. On the other… do we even have the right or ability to refute her leaving? Considering the fact that the pair of Soul Reapers who'd come to 'retrieve' Rukia had nearly beaten my brother to death, I don't think we ever did.

Is there a stronger word for rage? 'Cause if there is, then that's about where I am on the emotional spectrum every time I think about it. I mean, if Rukia hadn't stepped in and agreed to go with them…

That's twice now that the tiny brunette has saved one or more members of my family. It was all the more frustrating when I realized that I wouldn't ever get the chance to repay her.

I'd settled into a sort of melancholic acceptance by the time summer break came around, but my brother seemed…lost. And paranoid. He'd watched over Karin, Yuzu and I with a hawk-like intensity these past few weeks, as though terrified we'd all disappear if he so much as turned his head. On the last day of school, I even took a shortcut (jumped out a window) just to escape that oppressive regard. I mighthave _slightly_ underestimated how pissed he'd be when he came home to find me already there – I actually hadn't known he could turn that many shades of red. But, you know, I think the solitude did him good. He seemed more like himself. Hell, he even announced he was going on a trip the next day!

Too relieved to have some freedom – sweet, blessed freedom – I didn't even think to question it. In fact, I took a cue from my absentee brother and decided that I'd take a little 'trip' of my own. My Dad and sisters thought I was going camping with my two best friends, Orihime and Tatsuki. In reality, I went up to the mountains to train with Nekomi.

The first thing he'd done was remind me that each of the masks possess a Power, an Ability and a Weapon. Somehow, even with our two weeks worth of practice in the mountains, Nekomi's Ability was the only one of the three I'd been able to master. Verbal training can get you only so far, as it turns out.

Nekomi's Power is not ready to be applied in anything even remotely resembling a battle. It's powerful, for all that I can only manage two shots at a time, but it's also a lot like trying to grab onto a river and force it in another direction; except, in this case, the river is made of Soul Fire energy and has a tendency to blast holes in things. After the ninth practice shot had gone as wild as the first eight I'd apologized to nature, in general, for my deplorable aim. I'm pretty sure there are now more than a few squirrels with _very_ close shaves, thanks to me.

I'd started, mostly in jest, to yell "Blue Roar" whenever I used it, and somewhere along the way, it had stuck.

Of course, learning to fight with my sea-cat's weapon has been the most difficult. Pansateru, as Nekomi calls it, is a short bladed Katana with a blue grip. Summoning the blade is simple enough, but wielding it is another matter. A few years of track and a couple of fighting lessons from one's crazy, eccentric father does _not_ prepare one for the rigors of sword-play.

When I finally dragged myself home, shaking and exhausted merely from learning the basics, Ichigo had already returned. By little more than the fact that he took my "Camping with Orihime and Tatsuki" excuse at face value, I immediately knew something was up. I don't know what happened to him while he was away, but I had a feeling that new shine of resolve in his eyes hadn't been put there by a simple road trip. For a couple days I was puzzled by his distance, by the way his gaze would drift away and glaze over – almost like he was waiting for something…or planning. I stared at him in wide-eyed realization, practically able to feel the light bulb blink to life above my head.

Ichigo was going to go after Rukia.

That night, as I stared up at my masks, the hitch and pull of my thoughts led me to a singular conclusion: Even though I didn't know much about Soul Society, or all the circumstances surrounding Rukia's disappearance, I just couldn't let Ichigo face it alone. Not this time. And, after all that Kuchiki had done for my family, I knew I owed it to her as much as I owed it to my brother.

I mean, I know a week or so of training hardly prepares me to face the master swordsmen that supposedly reside in Soul Society. But, even if it's a fool's errand, even if I'm bound to get killed, I've got to try.

I guess that tenacity and pigheaded disregard for dismal odds must be a Kurosaki trait.

…

About four days later, I woke in the middle of the night to the sound of my father's booming voice. When I heard my brother yelling back at him, I knew the time to leave had come. I got dressed quicker than I could ever remember, glancing briefly over my masks. I'd been assured by Nekomi that the Rokugami would come with me; that I only had to have my soul and they'd be there.

I grabbed the small bag I'd packed before I left my room; one I'd filled with a first-aid kit, a flashlight, a bottle of water, a couple of go-bars, and a few other things I figured we'd probably need. I highly doubt that Ichigo had thought to do the same, as my brother was hard pressed to bring a pencil to class, let alone prepare for an expedition.

I snuck down the stairs and then along the wall to the left of the kitchen, where there was a side door. Hopefully I could get out of here without –

"I just knew you wouldn't be far behind him."

I jumped in surprise, spinning to see my father leaning against the wall just outside the door. I stared at him for a moment, and then grumbled, "And I should have known you'd be waiting for me."

He shrugged and said, "You brats are always underestimating me."

I stood there, waiting for him to voice his disapproval, but the seconds ticked by in silence. Feeling increasingly off-balance I blurted, "So…are you going to try to stop me?"

My father rolled his head back and fixed an eye on me briefly before his gaze strayed to the sky, "No, I'm not gonna stop you. It's been my job to protect you and your siblings from day one, but I knew, at some point, that you'd have to grow up and make your own decisions. I made a promise with myself that, when that moment came, I would support you and trust you to make the right choice. I can't say I'm happy about it, and I think neither one of you have a lick of sense, but… you two kids have earned a little bit of faith."

"I'm kind of surprised, Dad," I admitted, tugging my small pack higher on my shoulder. "I expected a bigger fuss from you."

"Well," he smirked, stepping away from the wall and toward me. "I made sure to antagonize that idiot son of mine a bit before he went rushing off, but I figured you could do without the theatrics. I _am_ disappointed that you didn't think your dear Dad deserved a goodbye, at the very least."

I ducked my head, feeling a wave of shame at that, "You're right, you do deserve a proper goodbye. I was just afraid that…"

I heard him sigh, and then his hand was beneath my chin, nudging my head up so he could look me in the eye, "I didn't wait out here to punish you or chastise you. I wanted to give you something."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a worn bell on a frayed ribbon. I immediately recognized it. "Oh, Dad, you can't – "

"Shh," he scolded lightly. "You might be a young lady now, but you'll always be my little girl. Even if I can't always follow where you go, I will still do my best to protect you, in any way I can."

He lifted my hand and placed the tattered bell within it. I wiped away a tear as I looked down at it, snuggled there in my palm. It settled soundlessly, because its clapper had vanished long before it had even come into my Father's possession. It usually hung above our door by a hook, where it could bless the entire house. This tiny charm's effects were, to Dad especially, quite real. He always told us that the luckiest day of his life was the day he'd picked up that bell. That opinion probably had a lot to do with that day being the very same one he'd first met Mom.

And then there was the fact that, eight years ago, on a warm June night, the bell chimed exactly four times. As I'd said before, the bell is quite broken. It was odd, but we didn't realize the significance of it until an officer escorted a pale, blank-eyed Ichigo to our door an hour later and informed us that our mother was dead.

The bell had never made a sound again.

I folded my fingers around the small metal bell. The object in my hand had led my family into blessings, and warned us of coming despair. Regardless of whether or not it held true power, its significance could not be denied.

"So long as you have this, I know you'll be safe," My father pulled me into his chest, and squeezed me until my bones creaked. I didn't mind, and in fact pressed even closer. His voice was gruff with swallowed tears as he spoke into my ear, "You take care of yourself and keep an eye on that brother of yours. No matter what, the both of you come back home, okay?"

I nodded against him, sniffling. He hugged me tighter for a moment before pulling back and giving me a warm smile, "And make sure to bring me back something cool. Like a spirit t-shirt or a ghost sword."

I laughed, my heart feeling lighter at his ridiculousness, "Of course. I'll do my best."

He chucked me under the chin and said, "That's my girl."

With those words, my father turned me, and pushed me forward. I stumbled a bit, but once I got my footing and turned back to say 'goodbye,' he was already gone. I took a bracing breath, and straightened the band around my wrist – which was only habit after all these years of wearing it. A few minutes later, I summoned up my mask and hoped that my new ability could prove affective.

"Nekomi, can you find him?"I whispered as I began to jog away from the house.

"Easily, kitten," He replied arrogantly. "He's two blocks ahead and heading west."

"You know, I didn't know if I'd ever get the chance to use this thing," I mused. Nekomi's Ability, Seek, allowed me to detect an intended target and then track it. Finding my brother in the middle of the night was now only slightly less annoying than it would've been without it.

I would follow my sibling, help him save Rukia, and then we would all come back, safe and sound; just like I'd promised. That was the hope, at least. I was not so naïve as to believe that this wasn't completely reckless, but at the thought of all the dangers my brother has faced for me and my sisters, I knew that there was no way I could do anything less. I'd pay whatever price to keep him from harm.

"That's a rather hefty commitment to make," Nekomi said, apparently having listened in on my thoughts. His ability to read my mind really did make for poor company sometimes. "Any price? You might want to take that back."

"Why? You know I'd do whatever it takes to protect my family," I responded calmly.

He sounded more than a bit reluctant when he finally said, "If you _really_ think we need to go chasing after carrot-top, then I've got your back."

I shook my head, amused, "Why do you dislike Ichigo so much?"

"He's obnoxious, arrogant, and has got more balls than brains," Nekomi snorted. "What's there to like?"

"With so much in common, it's hard to believe you two aren't the best of friends." I teased.

"What?! I'm nothing like that idiot!"

"Of course not," I said, all sarcasm and saccharine. "How very silly of me! You two aren't even remotely similar."

"You know, I usually like it when you're cheeky," he grumped. "This time? Not so much."

I laughed, "Come on, he's not so bad."

"..."

"Most the time," I amended. "But still, you can't _hate_ a guy you've never had a single conversation with."

"I don't need to talk to him to know he's an asshat," he argued. "Besides, I think you'll find that once the other Rokugami are activated, they'll think the same thing."

I rolled my eyes, realizing Nekomi's attitude toward my brother wasn't going to change anytime soon. I moved onto to the other topic he'd brought up, "Are you going to tell me how to do that? Activate them, I mean."

"I don't actually know how, but I believe the answer to doing so might just lie in this other realm. I think we were always meant to take this path," If he could shrug, I feel like he would have. "Oi, turn right, here."

I considered his words, "So… going to soul society, I was always fated to do that?"

"In this life time or the next, yes," he agreed. It was silent aside from his directions for a long while after that. It was a lot to absorb, but I had the distinct feeling that he just might be right. Whatever my future held, it all lay in Soul Society. This spirit world that I'd seen a dozen times over in reflective surfaces during the last eight years – I was finally going to be able to reach out and touch it. There was an interesting mix of excitement and dread in my gut. I'd felt longing for that world as far back as I could remember, and now that the opportunity to go there had come, I couldn't help questioning it.

Both fate and my soul had been calling me down this road, but why?

"You seem rather tame tonight," I noted, pulling myself from questions I had no way of answering. "Usually you're more…boisterous."

"I'm just on edge," he said, the harshness in his voice coming rather unexpectedly.

"Why?"

He didn't answer, but then, he didn't have to. His abrupt, uncharacteristically solemn demeanor was unnerving, but I'd felt a similar anxiety all night. We had no way of knowing what was to come. We were heading to a realm in which all the odds would be stacked against us. There was so much riding on our ability to adapt that, even with my convictions, I was tempted to turn back.

We turned a corner, and there, ahead of us, was a familiar shock of orange hair. We'd reached this point, now we just had to follow through. I approached slowly, noticing very quickly that my brother wasn't alone. There was Chad, Orihime, Uryuu, a man with a stripped hat, a couple of kids, and…was that a cat? What were they all doing here? Chad, I'd figured would tag along, but Orihime? She didn't know how to fight – I'm pretty sure she didn't even know how to throw a punch.

But then again, you only have to see the way she looks at my brother to know exactly why she'd come.

I didn't know much about Uryuu Ishida, but I think that's mostly because each of our interactions were delegated by his frigid temperament. His self-assured nature and cool, mint green aura lent him a superior air, which I'd come associate with his intelligence. After all, when he'd first arrived at the school, he'd quickly placed himself at the top of the class.

Also, there was the bizarre, open hostility with which he regarded Ichigo. Neither one could be in the same room without glaring at each other. Given how much he suffered my brother's existence, I was surprised he was even here.

I was unfamiliar with the others in the group, but I figured they must be here for a reason – whatever that might be. I watched as everyone began to file into the building behind them and hurried my steps.

"Wait, Hiwarai," Nekomi said abruptly, causing me to stop inches from the door. "No matter what happens beyond this point, or what awaits us, I want you to know…"

"Hmm?"

He seemed to hesitate before saying brusquely, "Just, I don't know, don't worry and all that sentimental bullshit. No matter what, everything will turn out right."

I felt tension ease from my chest as a grin tugged at my lips, "Thanks Nekomi."

"Yeah, yeah, now get moving, Kitten. Don't want to miss the party."

I huffed at that, but stepped into the doorway without complaint. I passed through, and a moment later, I stood in another land. I stopped short for only a moment, awed and confused. Stretching out as far as I could see was cornsilk colored sand writhing in the wind as ragged mountains cut into a sky as smooth and perfectly blue as a robin's egg. The only life in this harsh desert landscape was the small cluster of people a short distance away.

I marveled at my surroundings even as I pushed forward. This fascination was probably why I didn't notice the large, odd square in the valley – which is funny because the moment I stepped up behind my fellow teens, I was sucked into the damn thing right along with them.

A mere second after we landed, everyone was moving, and moving fast. I'd spent the last three years in track, so the running didn't particularly bother me, but I had no idea why we were in such a hurry – that is, until I realized that the weird purple walls were closing quickly behind us. Besides being severely grossed out by their fleshy texture and squishing noises, I had a feeling that I really wouldn't like what would happen if it touched me.

"Ah, guys, there's something following us!"I jumped at Uryuu's cry, but when I glanced over my shoulder at his words, I found nothing there. What the hell was he talking about? I faced forward again and scowled at him. Really rude to scare a girl like that. It was a half second later that I realized that he seemed to be staring at _me_ wide-eyed and not behind me. Oops; I'd forgotten I was still wearing Nekomi.

"What?!" Ichigo exclaimed from the front, "You sure?"

"Yes!"

"It doesn't matter, just don't look back and keep moving; we're almost there!" An unfamiliar voice sounded from somewhere just ahead of Ichigo. "Focus on running. Falter now and you'll be trapped here forever."

Wow, okay, I hadn't known that. I ran a little faster, not relishing the idea of being stuck in a giant purple vagina for all of eternity.

"Hey, that thing's picked up some speed and the walls are closing rapidly behind us," the boy with glasses called out once more. I opened my mouth to yell at him when that unknown voice said, "Concentrate on moving forward and just ignore everything else."

At that moment a tendril from the wall shot past me and smacked into Uryuu straight on. He stumbled with a surprised yelp, and before I could think on it or consider the consequences, I summoned Nekomi's weapon. It solidified in my hand, just like I'd practiced a hundred times. The short, blue handled blade swung easily through the air. It cut through the cloth, separating him from the purple mass without incident.

He froze in shock as he was freed, but I motioned forward, shouting, "Go!"

He gave a jerky nod, apparently understanding that I was on his side. We pushed forward, everyone ahead of us seeming to have not even noticed that they'd nearly lost one of their own. When next we stopped, I'd have to chastise them for not being more observant. The others were too far away for comfort, so I picked up a little speed while urging on the man beside me, "Faster."

He puffed a bit but kept pace with me, and soon we were right behind the rest. There was a roaring down the tunnel and I turned to see a giant violet mass barreling toward us all like a freight train, spitting a bright yellow light. The boy next to me noticed it as well, "What is that thing?"

"Oh no," that same voice from before cursed. "Run faster! That's the cleaner! It clears these tunnels, and if we don't hurry, _we'll_ be what it clears."

Needing no further explanation, our group ran harder, but it was apparent that the cleaner would be quick in catching up. I watched Orihime glance back, and when she stopped suddenly, both Uryuu and I swerved out of the way. I looked over my shoulder at her, amazed as my best friend summoned a golden light. I had a split second to recognize that the light had formed a shield before the cleaner touched it, and then suddenly we were all shooting out of the open gate. We streaked across the sky like falling stars before slamming into the ground.

Surprisingly, it didn't even hurt. As the dust cleared around us and my companions got to their feet, I could hear that unfamiliar voice yelling at Orihime for using her power in the tunnel. When I heard the male voice explain exactly _why_ that was so bad, I felt a weight sink into my stomach. If that purple mass had touched my blade…

I suddenly felt a little faint.

"Come on, let up on her a little," I heard my brother interrupt this other man's lambasting. Who was this guy anyway? He seemed to know an awful lot about this realm. "She did save our lives, after all."

"Yeah, her and the other one," Uryuu said in agreement.

I coughed, easing myself to my feet as everyone else blankly echoed, "Other one?"

"Yeah, the one in the mask," the glasses wearing teen affirmed offhandedly.

"Mask? Oh man, don't tell me…"

At that moment the dust finally cleared completely, and I looked across the way just in time to lock eyes with my brother, "Uh-oh."

At first he seemed surprised to see me, so I gave a tentative wave, but then his face darkened and he started stomping in my direction. I briefly contemplated running, but forced myself to stay put. I'd chosen to come along – albeit without anyone noticing up to this point, but still. If staying meant I had to suffer through a chewing out by my brother, I figured I could handle it. I told Nekomi to recede and unflinchingly met Ichigo's glare.

"Hiwarai! How did you get here? Why are you here? You know what, it doesn't even matter. You're going back, right now!"

"What?!" I exclaimed. "No way! If they get to stay here, then so do I!"

I gestured at the others gathered behind him and Ichigo scowled, "It doesn't matter what _they're_ doing, because _you're_ going home!"

"No, I'm _not_!" I yelled right back at him.

"I'm afraid she's right Ichigo. There's no way to open the portal back up at this time."

I looked down at where the voice had come from and into the large yellow eyes of a black cat. Did it…did that cat just talk?

"Well, we'll wait for a new one," Ichigo snapped stubbornly.

"Then you'll be waiting a long damn time," the cat sharply countered.

"The cat is talking," I stated dumbly.

"Oh, yes," Orihime bubbled. "That's because he's a magic cat."

"Oh, okay," I said a little dully to her explanation which didn't actually explain anything. But, then again, maybe it did. We'd just run through a suggestively textured purple portal to a world of the dead; a talking pussycat really shouldn't seem that strange.

"I don't care!" My brother's roar brought me back to the argument at hand as he waved his arms angrily at the articulate feline at his feet. "She's not coming with us and she can't stay here!"

"I'm staying with you and that's final!" I stomped my foot to affirm the said finality of that statement.

"You will do as you're told," he growled, a single finger stabbing in my direction.

I ignored his domineering words, "Mom told us that family sticks together no matter what. I am not leaving unless you, Rukia, and the others are right beside me."

He leaned back, startled and mildly hurt, "You shouldn't bring Mom into this."

I felt a little guilty, but stayed firm, "You didn't leave me any other choice."

He turned away and went silent, so I took a step closer to push my advantage, "Even if I could go back, I wouldn't. I am your sister and you are my brother. Your battles are my battles. This is what family does – stand together."

His shoulders tensed harshly for a moment, before he released a heavy sigh and turned back to level me with a disgruntled stare, "I hate it when you use my own logic against me."

I grinned smartly, "Logic? You?"

"Shut up," he punched me in the shoulder as a reluctant grin spread across his face. "Fine, you can stay, but that means you're at my back every second of the way unless I say otherwise. Got it?"

"Yep!" I nodded eagerly, picture of cooperation and obedience. I mean, I'm really not, but I could let him think that I was, for now.

"And you have to keep up."

"Of course."

"That means no running off on your own."

"I'll stick to you like glue."

"You're being far too agreeable…"

"And that's a bad thing?"

"With you it usually is."

"Are you really going to argue it right now?"

He sighed, running a hand through his spiky hair, "No, I guess not."

"Hey, sorry to interrupt this, uh, sibling bonding moment," Uryuu started hesitantly. "But, does anybody else think it's weirdly quiet around here?"

We all paused, looking around at the deserted square. It was certainly more than a little dead.

"Yeah, I agree. Is this really soul society?" Ichigo asked, staring down the empty street skeptically.

"Yes," the feline confirmed. "This area is called the Rukon district. It's where new souls come to live when they first arrive in the Soul Society. As a matter of fact, it's right on the edge of the Seireitei – where the Soul Reapers live."

Soul Reapers? I'd heard that term before. Wasn't Rukia a Soul Reaper? If I remember right, Ichigo was technically one now, too. The only other ones I'd ever heard of were the two goons who'd beat my brother half to death and kidnapped Rukia. In my mind, they were little more than faceless bullies. If these elite warriors were important enough to warrant their own caste within this other-world, then perhaps there was more to them than I'd originally believed.

" – the Rukon is therefore the place with the largest population of souls," the cat finished his explanation just as I tuned back into the conversation.

"If this place is supposed to have the largest amount of people in it, then…where is everybody?" Uryuu questioned. I agreed; it was quite strange.

"Hey!" Ichigo said suddenly. "What are those buildings over there? Why do they look so different from everywhere else?"

I turned to follow his gaze as the cat bit out, "Just forget about that."

It seemed my brother wasn't in the mood to listen though, because his eyes brightened and he practically yelled, "I know! That's the Seireitei, or whatever you called it – where all those Soul Reapers live!"

"Stop you idiot! You'll be killed! You can't go running up to the gate like that!"

"Ichigo, watch out!" I hollered as my eyes caught on something above him. I watched, disbelieving as it descended, unable to comprehend why there was a who-knows-how-many-tons _wall_ falling from the sky. He skidded to a stop, with an irritated "Huh?" thrown over his shoulder. Was he completely oblivious?

I pointed up, and he followed my finger, just in time to see it crash right in front of him. We all winced when the force of it tossed him off his feet. I stared in his direction as a dust cloud from the impact bellowed our way. That was when a giant, uh…gorilla-man emerged from the haze. His guttural voice and immense stature were impressive, but I hardly even paid attention to his words when I saw the giant axe-like sword in his hands. I nearly swallowed my tongue when the monster of a man swung that weapon down toward my brother.

I was running toward Ichigo before I even realized my feet were moving, and the others were right at my heels. We halted only a few meters from the two. Orihime stood next to me as our feline companion told us the name of the – as Uryuu aptly described – leviathan in front of us.

I turned to look at my best friend, both happy that she was here, and simultaneously worried for her safety. I knew that she was made of sterner stuff than even Tatsuki was given to believe, but Orihime was still a gentle creature. I didn't know how she would fair in this journey, or what those powers in the tunnel had been, but I knew she was as committed to being here as I was.

I knew she cared for my brother a lot more than she let on, and I was fairly certain as well, that Ichigo didn't have a clue. Not that he often did, but still. I looked at her face, and saw that determination I knew was truly the iron core of the amber-haired teen. We would do this together then. Good. As the cat droned on about this and that, we nodded at each other and began to charge toward this Jidanbo fellow. From the heavy footfalls on my other side I knew that Chad was right with us.

Right as we got within throwing distance of Ichigo, the gate's guardian smirked and carved his sword into the ground. Bus sized monoliths stretched up in front of us, forcing us to stop within the shadow they cast. Jidanbo scolded us for our supposed rudeness and pronounced that we would be dealt with later. I snarled at him, but he just laughed. When Chad proposed punching through the stones, I was right on board with the idea. At least until we learned that Jidanbo was great of size _and_ hearing, as our whispered planning had not gone unnoticed.

That was when my brother spoke up and stated that he would be handling the mammoth guardian all on his own. We all, of course, immediately protested, but I knew it would be useless. Ichigo always did what Ichigo wanted, no matter how stupid or reckless that thing was. Part of me would always admire him for his courage and conviction. Another part of me would always firmly believe that he was just very, very dumb.

"Listen, I'll tell you guys all an interesting little story. Remember when I spent about ten days with Mr. Hat-and-clogs?" I didn't know what he was talking about, but I wondered if the person he mentioned, this mentor of his, was that man I'd seen outside the store earlier. I'd know he'd gone somewhere about two weeks ago, but I'd never thought he'd actually been training with someone. "…we trained for so long and so hard – five days and nights. He and I battled each other, one on one."

"I see," I saw a glimmer of respect in Uryuu's eyes, despite his somewhat doubtful tone. "And you learned all his fighting techniques then, correct?"

"Wrong again," Ichigo said. "I didn't learn a single thing about fighting, but in those long hours…I gained tremendous strength and stamina."

"Wait, so in these five days, you didn't learn a thing?" I couldn't help interjecting. "Like, nothing? No, you know what, that really doesn't surprise me."

I heard a choking sound on the other side of the wall before Ichigo growled, "Damn it, sis. Couldn't you let me be cool for like…five freaking minutes?"

I felt like I had a sisterly obligation to toss back at him, "I'm pretty sure five minutes is the total amount of time I've _ever_ seen you be cool."

I heard nothing but inarticulate noises for several moments, and then, "You know what? If I beat this dude in _five minutes_ or less, you have to take those words back _and_ tell me I'm the coolest, most amazing, totally awesomest person you ever met."

I considered it, "I have to say _exactly_ those words?"

"Yep," he popped.

"Fine," I nodded. "You're on."

Exactly four minutes and thirteen seconds later Jidanbo was beating his fists against the ground and moaning over his loss. Before I could wrap my head around the giant basically being a child in a mongo gorilla's body, he congratulated my brother and started offering to open the gate for us. Bonus was that Ichigo seemed too preoccupied being indignant that the gate keeper had called his name cute to remember our bet.

We all watched in awe as Jidanbo hefted the gate up, applauding his massive physique and cheering him on. When sudden shudders seemed to overtake the giant, I worried that he might have overexerted his strength. I wandered closer to get a look at his face as Ichigo asked if something was wrong. Following his horrified eyes to a slim, black and white figure a small distance away, I frowned, wondering who could make someone as large as Jidanbo tremble in fear.

I stood just behind Ichigo as the man slowed to a stop and asked, "Who is that?"

"That," Jidanbo answered emphatically. "Is none other the leader of Squad 3, Gin Ichimaru."

I stared at that closed eyed smile on the white haired man's face and thought that he didn't look very dangerous. A flash of silver through the air, followed by a splash of blood, quickly forced me to reevaluate. I gasped, clutching Ichigo's sleeve as Jidanbo pulled his injured arm against his middle.

We all listened as our hulking new friend fumbled out an explanation for his actions, and when he finished, that easy smile on the man's face twisted into something far more sinister. I felt cloth being wrenched from my hands as Ichigo launched himself at the man called Gin, sword raised. When the two men clashed, I knew there was no way I could intercede. My fists clenched in frustration. What was he doing? Dashing off and confronting unknown threats. Was he a complete lunatic?

As they broke apart, the feline at my feet yowled at the orange haired teen. While the two argued I focused on the newcomer. Gin, lanky and bemused, seemed more exasperated by my sibling than anything else. I'd just seen the strength Ichigo was now capable of, so how much stronger must this guy be, to disregard that so easily? I watched this man's face as he observed my brother; watched the speculative calculus that slid across his features the moment he heard his name. I felt dread dig deep into my gut. Gin's eyes slid over to me and I held his gaze. His head cocked and that sly eyed smile turned taunting.

I grit my teeth and tensed, knowing that my own observations had not gone unnoticed. I called upon Nekomi and delighted in the utter shock that ever so briefly replaced that ridiculous smile. Then, I felt the pulse of something heavy in the air, and the sensation had every hair on my body standing on end. I gripped Pansateru as it formed in my hands from a cloud of smoke and blue cinders. Those eyes were locked on me, and I realized that whereas before, I'd simply been acknowledged by him, now, I'd for some reason drawn his full attention.

Suddenly Ichigo was blocking the man's line of sight and I stared at my long-limbed sibling's back as he stated, "Your fight is with me, not my sister."

"Sister?" Queried that modulated voice, expressing little more than polite interest. I thought the question too pointed, too deliberate, to sound so casual. "Quite _protective_ , aren't we…Ichigo Kurosaki?"

Ichigo blanched, "You know me? How?"

"Just as I thought," Gin stated in a tone that was both dismissive and bored. "How very predictable…"

Then he leaned to the left, that smile growing as he caught sight of me just past my brother's form, "Though, there are some surprises."

I heard a sharply drawn breath at my feet and glanced down to see the cat's bright eyes upon me. I frowned, infinitely confused. Why were they looking at me like that? They act like they've never seen a mask before. My head rose when I heard a 'tsk' and I stared at the white haired man once more. He'd straightened and stepped to the side, turning his back on us as he began to walk away, "But still, I really can't let you pass."

"Well, then why are you standing so far back?" My brother taunted. "Unless you're planning on throwing that little dagger of yours…"

"It's not a _dagger_ ," Gin stated condescendingly. "In fact, this is my Zanpakuto."

Suddenly he turned on his heel, and like wind cutting quickly through grass he spoke, "Shoot to kill… _Shinzo_."

Quicker than the eye could catch, his blade lengthened exponentially. It headed straight towards the gate keeper and Ichigo. My brother brought his blade up a half second before Gin's impacted. My breath caught as I watched them sail overhead.

"Ichigo!" My cry was echoed by my companions and I turned to head for where my brother had crashed to the ground atop Jidanbo.

"No, the gate!" I jerked at that exclamation and paused as I considered the swiftly falling gate. I raised my blade as I stood just beneath it, took a breath and charged a Blue Roar. Energy crackled down my arms into the sword and, when it had fully gathered, I released the shot. I'd learned that, when focused through Pansateru, I had better aim and more force. Still, the hard part was keeping the sword still as pure soul energy ripped across it. I did my best, but the blue handled short sword veered two inches to the right, which meant the blast went a foot or more wide of the target.

I cursed, because the gate was coming down fast and I didn't know if I could get another shot off in time.

A palm pressed into my side as the black cat desperately yelled, "No! Hiwarai, move!"

My head swiveled and Gin's lids lifted just long enough to snare me in a red eyed gaze before a pulse wave emerged from his palm. It sent me skidding to the side and off my feet. I landed hard on my bottom, head spinning dizzily. I saw the white haired man as he stood, bent at the middle, waving at us. "Bye, bye now!"

I sat there a while, staring, stunned, at the now closed gate.

"Hiwarai?" I turned, trying to focus on the cat, and found the task a lot harder than it should have been. "Are you okay? Did he touch you?"

Even in my suddenly fuzzy mind, that last question was a bit odd. It took me a moment to remember how to use my mouth before I could answer, "S-sorry, I'm all right. Um, he just…pushed me away with that shockwave thingy."

"Now this is important: Did his skin touch yours?"

Okay, that was a _really_ strange question, and I said so. The feline fixed me sternly in its gaze and said, "I know it's weird but I need to know."

I frowned, thinking about it, "No. His hand only touched my shirt. Why?"

A sigh of relief left the small feline, "Ah, good. Though… Why didn't he take that opportunity? You were wide open, and he must have known. Didn't he? Yet… he only pushed you away…"

I was entranced by the words that left that puzzled maw. I asked, "What are you talking about cat?"

"Yoruichi."

Well _that_ brought me up short, "What?"

"Yoruichi," the cat repeated. "That's my name."

"Oh," I said softly, a touch dumbly. "Okay."

Yoruichi pushed a paw against my Capri clad leg and seemed to analyze me, "Hmm, you seem a little groggy. Not unusual with a blast like that. When you're less…out of it, I'll explain more thoroughly, but for now, the most important information you need to know is this: you are something very unique, especially in this world, and you can't let anyone with significant power touch you. Do you understand?"

"Not really," I mumbled. "You don't want people touching me?"

"Yes," the cat confirmed. "People with immense soul strength, such as strong, level six Soul Reapers, can _not_ touch your skin."

"Ichigo's a Soul Reaper," I reminded him.

"Don't worry about Ichigo, in fact, stay as close to him as possible, because I'm pretty sure he's your Guardian."

" _I'm_ pretty sure you're speaking words…they just don't make any sense," I stated woozily with narrowed eyes.

Yoruichi grunted, "Damn, I'm actually starting to wish we _had_ been able to send you back. I don't know what to do about this kind of situation – it's never happened before. I don't know what they'll do when they realize what you are…"

My mind was starting to clear, and with every second, I grew a little more scared. I swallowed hard, "And what am I?"

There was a glint of fear in his eyes, and something of pity, when he said, "You are what this world knows as an Abjune."

"What does that mean?"

"…it means that if even a single soul in this realm realizes that fact…you might never be able to return to your world again."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Sorry for the wait, guys. Holidays are nuts around here, haha. Also, I apologize if this one reads a little sloppy, as I wanted to get all this information down before we could move on with the actual story. All the information in here is VERY IMPORTANT! Do not skip! Unless, of course, you WANT to be incredibly lost. I hope you like this weird little thing I added to the Bleach universe. In the end, it really is a rather odd concept. Thank you, too, for all the favs and follows. I really appreciate the reviews as well. I didn't expect such a positive response to this silly little story of mine.**

 **Thanks again guys! Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not, and will not ever own rights to Bleach. The OC, unfamiliar plot dynamics, and overall story concept are mine, though.**

 **Chapter 3**

I probably would have been less surprised if someone had shoved Pansateru through my gut. Never return home again? What was this – some kind of joke?

"Th-that one guy!" I spluttered. "Gin whatever… are you saying he knows? So he's going to tell them about me?"

The cat looked back at the closed gate, contemplating it and the man behind it, with shrewd yellow eyes. He turned back, feline features curious as he studied me.

"I…I don't know if Ichimaru actually knew," he said tentatively. I hadn't known him long, but I didn't think he was the type of person who was often uncertain. "Otherwise, you would be on the other side of that door, at this very moment. Or, I suppose, it's possible that he just doesn't care. If he'd had the intention to turn you in, he would have taken you when he had the chance. Either way, I don't think he's going to be a problem."

"Oh. Good," I said, not so much relieved as I was just completely baffled.

He glanced over my shoulder, "Ah, Ichigo is coming this way. It looks like he is uninjured." Yoruichi met my eyes again, "I will consider our options for now and speak with you a bit later."

"What!?" I squawked. "You can't throw something like that at me and just walk away! What do you mean? What's an Abjune? Why can't Soul Reapers touch me? What the hell is going on?"

"Calm down," the cat, Yoruichi, snipped. "I told you I'd explain more thoroughly, but this really isn't the time or place. You don't have anything to worry about right now, so relax. Once we enter the Seireitei, that will change, but until then, you have nothing to fear."

"You have a very round-about way of offering reassurance," I muttered. "Doom; doom not now, but definitely doom later."

The feline shrugged, "I've been told that's never been one of my strong points, yes."

I gave an inelegant snort at that and leaned my head back until I could see Ichigo jogging in our direction. He stopped behind me and looked down at my upturned face with a frown, "Why are you just sitting there?"

"Oh, you know, just thought it was a good time to do some sunbathing. Indulge my girlish whims and all."

He stared down at me for a long second, "That's a joke, right? Cuz, if it isn't, I'm gonna punch you in the neck."

"Please don't," I responded. "I'm dizzy enough as it is."

…

The sun was just starting to go down when Yoruichi approached me again.

Orihime and I were chatting with the kind man who'd taken us in when the cat wandered through the door, a considering look on his face. When Yoruichi spotted us sitting there, he said, "Ah, just the two I was looking for."

 _Two?_

He turned to the old man, "May I ask if there is a private room for me and my companions to hold conference?"

Perhaps startled by the sophistication of Yoruichi's speech – or more likely by the fact that the cat could speak at all – the man fumbled to reply, "Y-yes, oh yes! Uh, right this way. Do you need anything else, sir?"

"No, that's quite alright," the feline declined politely. "Your assistance is greatly appreciated, but a room is more than adequate for the moment."

The man stood from where he'd been sitting beside his daughter (adopted daughter really, though that fact didn't seem to matter to them at all.) He escorted us to a far corner of his home, where a small room was situated, and then with a low bow, he scuttled away.

"Close the door, would you," Yoruichi sat in the center of the room as I did as told. I joined him and Orihime, but it was a moment before he spoke again. "I know you're probably wondering why I asked Orihime to be here. The answer is quite simple: she is also an Abjune."

She cocked her head, confused, "What's an Abjune?"

I scanned my friend, half believing that this revelation had altered her physically, "She is?"

Yoruichi nodded to my question, "Yes, she is, albeit a dormant one. You, on the other hand, are completely active."

"Is being an Abjune a… bad thing?" Orihime asked, worriedly gnawing at her lip.

"Well, no," Yoruichi said slowly. "In fact, if you two weren't Ryoka, and had been escorted by a Soul Reaper, you would have been allowed into the Seireitei immediately with highest deference."

"So then, why can't we tell anybody? If we would normally be so welcomed, why is now any different? Is it dangerous to be a Ryoka and an…an Abjune? How do we – " I shut my mouth as more questions developed behind my teeth, forcing myself to be patient.

The cat faced me and my inquiries with a level stare, "You both are too valuable to our society to truly fear for your lives. Your biggest concern is that, if you are caught, you will probably never be allowed to leave. As you are both still part of the living world, with family and friends you wish to return to, I would even bet that you would be looking at a life of near imprisonment. There are people in the Seireitei, as well, that would be all too eager to abuse and manipulate you two. I know of one, especially, who would chew his left arm off for a chance to rip you both apart and study you."

"I don't understand. Wh-what do we have that they want?" Orihime asked, voice hitching ever so slightly. I didn't fault her for the tremor when I felt nauseous, myself, at the thought of someone experimenting on me.

"To answer that, you need to know that 'Abjune' is a word from a language so old that it no longer has a name. There is no way to translate it exactly, but simply put it means: Divine Soul," Yoruichi paused as he seemed to consider his next words. "They are called this because, not only are they beings capable of great power who possess incredibly unique gifts, but also, and most crucially of all, an ability – in any realm, even this one – to have children."

It took me a moment to realize the significance of that statement, because, in the living world, near every woman can have a child. In the spirit world, however, there were only souls. Sometimes it was easy to forget that they were dead, that they really weren't flesh and blood. And, if they didn't have flesh and blood, they couldn't make another being of flesh and blood. Here, to create a new life, they would have to literally create another soul. But, wait, the only beings who could do that were…

"Gods," I whispered, locking eyes with Yoruichi. "That's why they're called Divine Souls. Only a divine spirit can create a soul."

Yoruichi nodded, "Yes. That's indeed the reasoning behind the name."

"Are we only Abjunes because we are technically still living?"

"That's a good question Orihime, but the answer is no. Your souls are Abjune; having a living body has nothing to do with it."

Orihime leaned back with a nod of understanding as I asked, "So we can create another soul? All by ourselves?"

Yoruichi hesitated, before shaking his head, "No."

"No?" Orihime and I both echoed in confusion. He repeated, "No. The process is done much like it is in the living world."

Forgive us if we both stared at him blankly. He sighed and narrowed his eyes upon us, like we were being deliberately obtuse, "How do you make a child in the living world?"

"Well, when a Mommy loves a Daddy, very much…," Orihime started winsomely. I clapped my hand over her mouth before she could delve any further into the birds and the bees – although, with Orihime, it would be less birds-and-bees, and more rainbows-and-kittens or, possibly, rainbow kittens.

I felt sweat bead at my neck as I told her, gently, "I think he means we need a partner."

"Yes, like the living exchange genetic information to create a new life, you can exchange Reiatsu with your bonded and create a new soul," he nodded.

Orihime tugged my hand off her mouth to ask, "What's a bonded? Is that like a husband?"

"Er, no," Yoruichi hesitantly shook his head. "Well, sort of, but it's a lot more complicated than that. Marriage is basically an agreement to be a couple. That bond is insubstantial; it's a theory of existence, not a state of being. A _Reiatai_ , what we call the bond, is a literal tying of two souls."

"That sounds kind of romantic," my orange-haired friend blushed as she admitted this, and if I wasn't so freaked out, I might have agreed. As it was, I jumped up, "Whoa, whoa, slow down a sec. Look, we came here to rescue Rukia. What does it matter if we can technically get hitched and pregnant? That shouldn't affect what we're doing."

"We can get married and have babies in the living world, after all," Orihime chimed in, a bit unnecessarily.

"I know," the cat sighed. "That's why I'm telling you all this. The more informed you are, the more likely you'll be able to prevent the bond and leave this world without anyone figuring out you're Abjunes. Luckily, I know a way to mask you from those who still remember what to look for. I can't guarantee that you won't still bond with someone or be found out, but if you really _are_ committed to rescuing Rukia, then it's your choice whether or not you want to risk it."

"Wait, prevent the bond? Are you saying we don't even technically have a choice in this? We could be bound to complete strangers, with little to no likelihood of ever seeing our families again, _and_ be forced to be what basically amounts to a glorified broodmare?" I growled at him, near shaking with the force of my disbelief and frustration.

Yoruichi eyed me harshly, his face curling in a snarl, "Your kind has earned this world's respect a thousand times over, on an individual basis, and for the miracle that is their nature. I know it's not an ideal situation, but do not demean yourself, and those who came before you, with words you say in fear."

I felt a knuckle pop as I tightly curled my fists, "I didn't ask to be an Abjune."

"No," the cat said. "You were just born one."

I stared at him for another tense moment, questions and doubts swirling in my head. Suddenly I felt the light touch of fingers against the back of my hand. I looked at my best friend, completely lost. She offered me a reassuring smile, though I knew uncertainty was eating at her too. There were times when she was so much braver than I, times when all you had was faith. I wanted more than faith, more than the belief that, no matter what, it'd all turn out okay.

"Fine, it's great to be an Abjune – I'm honored, really – but just not now and not for us." I turned my hand so that could hold onto Orihime's as I carefully eased down to sit beside her. We both looked over to the feline. I took a heavy breath, "But, I know we…we will do whatever it takes to save our friend and protect the others. It was our choice to come here, and now it's our choice to continue forward."

Yoruichi analyzed us both, those bright eyes in shadow, "Very well."

"So," I started, feeling a tad awkward after my blow-up. "You said you could hide what we are, or something? If we do that, we should be pretty safe, right?"

"Safe isn't the word I'd use, but it's as close to it as you're going to get. It should keep you guys from being actively sought – well, not for that reason, at least. Being a Ryoka makes you a target, regardless, unfortunately," He rose to his feet, and we watched as he began pacing. "I'll need help to do the chant, which means I need to find someone we can trust. Hmm, I think I know just the person, too. Luckily we'll be heading that way anyway…"

Me and Orihime both exchanged a confused glance as he trailed off. We waited for several minutes in his thoughtful silence before Orihime tentatively asked, "Uh, Yoruichi?"

He started, "Oh, sorry. I was just considering some things. Where was I? Oh, yes. The charm. Well, you should know that the disguise isn't permanent, and the more you use your gifts, the faster it will fade."

"How long will it last?" Orihime asked.

"About sixteen days; less if you use your abilities too much," Yoruichi flicked his tail, pausing in his pacing to glance at us. "Luckily, you two are in a group full of talented individuals. If you can depend more on them and less on your powers, the charm will last a good while. As frustrating as I know it will be to take to the sidelines in this venture, it's going to be your best course of action. However, if you get separated, do not hesitate to use your powers. Trapped in this world is still better than dead."

"I don't think either of us like the idea of standing back and letting other people fight for us, but I get that we won't have much of a choice," I admitted grudgingly as I shared a glance with Orihime. She nodded in agreement.

"Just so you know, you will be more at risk than Orihime, as only an active Abjune can be bonded," He shook his head, claws digging into the tatami mat as he looked over at my best friend. "Dormancy is not uncommon, but it just might work in your favor."

"Why?" Orihime asked softly.

"Well, an Abjune must experience a powerful pure emotion to become active. That might not sound too complex, but every Abjune is activated by a specific and different emotion. Some are rather easy: rage, joy, love, hate, etc. But others are more difficult: doubt, betrayal, serenity, faith. Keep in mind that I'm saying _pure_ , not mixed emotions but one, pure, emotion. How often to you feel one way, and only one way?"

I suppose I could see why that would be tricky. Orihime asked, surprisingly, "What was yours, Hiwarai?"

"I don't know," I told her, a bit startled, because that was completely true. "I mean, the first time I called Nekomi was – "

"No," Yoruichi interrupted. "The activation of your powers is completely different. Your power is usually activated during times of desperation, danger, or out of a need to protect."

"Oh," I mumbled lamely. "Then when…?"

Suddenly, the cat was standing in my lap, looking into my eyes. I flinched in surprise, but froze when he hissed at me to keep still. I felt energy flair and sucked in a sharp breath when I felt that energy sink into my skin.

"What?" I whispered, amazed and a touch frightened by the sensation.

"Shh," Yoruichi said, "It's okay, I'm releasing some of my Reiatsu, and you're absorbing it. As an Abjune, you can not only withstand but also absorb spiritual pressure."

"And why are you doing that?" I asked, feeling more than a touch exasperated with all this new information being tossed at me.

"So I can see your soul reacting."

"Thank you. That explains so much," Yoruichi didn't break eye contact to scowl at me, but I felt his sharp claws digging into my knees. I winced. Alright, message received. No sarcasm.

"If I can see your soul, there is a chance I'll see the thread of emotion that activated it. Granted, it's mostly guessing, but I think it will work."

I let him do his thing while I stewed in skepticism.

"Ah! There." He blinked, pulling away. I watched him go back to sitting in the center of the room, feeling a bit disoriented when the spiritual pressure suddenly cut off. "Hmm, that's unexpected."

"What was I?" I demanded; the whole lurching-about-in-suspense thing was rapidly losing its charm.

"Curious."

"What is?"

"No, that's what you felt: Curiosity," He clarified, laughing softly.

As I mulled that over, Orihime asked, "Can you guess what mine will be?"

Yoruichi shook his head, "I'm sorry, I can't predict that."

"Oh, no, that's okay," she quickly reassured. "I didn't really expect you could. I just thought I'd ask."

He nodded kindly, "Just be careful, regardless, as it's not always possible to tell when you become active. Being dormant right now is a plus, but the drawback is you could activate at any time and not even know it."

She nodded sharply, eyes uncharacteristically firm and expression serious. I'd been thinking back, trying to remember all the times I'd been exceptionally curious, but no one specific time jumped out at me. I thought the moment would be as unmistakable as any significant change in my life. Could such an important thing have occurred completely beyond my notice?

"So, we'll just both have to be careful, that's all," I assured my friend, squeezing her hand gently. She tossed me a familiar, glowing smile. "Though, hopefully, the charm will keep us safe."

"Well, not perfectly safe," the cat said, abruptly. When we looked at him for clarification, he dipped his chin and gave us a firm look, "I want you both to very clearly understand that the charm does _not_ prevent a bond from being formed. It only _hides_ your nature, not nullify it completely. As long as they don't know what you are, it is incredibly unlikely that the Reiatai will occur. The process is fairly complex and it's near impossible for it to be made unconsciously. I wouldn't push your luck, however; as it would benefit you both to be cautious."

"Well, what do we have to do keep from bonding, even accidently," I asked.

"I think I should explain how the bonding process works. Hopefully, that will then make it easier to avoid. To start, the bond is formed in three stages. They do not necessarily need to occur in the order I describe them, but in a traditional ceremony, the sequence is as follows:

"First is what's called the Di-Yi, the moment of first skin-to-skin contact. This must be accompanied by significant interest. That interest can be out of curiosity, attraction, or something else – it doesn't really matter. You'll know the stage has been passed; as Abjunes are always able to tell when the initial bond has been formed. I'm not sure what it's supposed to feel like, but you'll apparently know."

"Will they?" Orihime leaned forward with an anxious furrow in her brow. "Know, I mean."

"No, they only feel it when all three stages have been passed and the bond is fully formed," he paused to make sure we understood, before continuing. "The Second stage is basically just second contact, though it doesn't need to be skin-to-skin. There has to be good amount of time between the first contact and the second, as the first is meant to absorb a large amount of Reiatsu and test it for compatibility. If it's not strong enough, it's automatically rejected, and that initial bond quickly fades. If it's strong enough and compatible, second contact solidifies that bond."

"Strong?" This time, I was the one who interrupted. "What do you mean? I thought we could bond with anyone?"

He firmly shook his head, "No, remember what I told you about not letting any level six Soul Reapers touch your skin?" I nodded, vaguely recalling him saying such a thing. "Well, level six means strong Lieutenants and Captains basically. Only their Souls are strong enough to withstand the energy drain one undergoes when creating another soul."

"Why do they need to be Soul Reapers?" Orihime queried.

"Good question, I think it has something to do with them being better able to protect the Abjune and her young," he began clinically, like some sort of ninth grade biology teacher. "But it also has to do with the next stage, which requires them to battle. Here is where your Guardian, Ichigo, comes in."

"Guardian?" My best friend asked blankly. "Hiwarai already has a Dad, she doesn't need a guardian."

"Not a legal guardian, a literal one," The cat told her, a hint of amusement in his voice. "A Guardian is usually drawn to protect an Abjune, but either has no interest in bonding with her or is incompatible. Most Abjune cross over and are given a Guardian by soul society, but you, Hiwarai, already have one."

"Wait…does that mean that the only reason my brother cares about me, is because I'm an Abjune?" I felt the presence of something dark and numb in my heart at the thought.

Yoruichi looked shocked, "No, not at all. Ichigo loves his family and friends fiercely, and you are no exception. He cares about you because he's your brother, but he protects with abnormal fierceness because he's your brother _and_ your Guardian."

"Oh," I glanced down at my lap sharply, not wanting them to see the relieved tears building in my eyes. Ichigo drove me crazy sometimes, but the idea that he only cared about me because he was supposed to, scared me quite a bit.

"Besides, guardianship is usually temporary, unless, like in your case, they are related or friends. One point of a guardian is to protect. The other point is to fight," Yoruichi seemed to consider his thoughts, trailing off for a long moment.

"In the third stage," he continued. "The Wuji – a male soul that has the potential to bond the Abjune – battles the guardian. They have to be of similar fighting ability and have similar soul strength; at least at the point the battle occurs. If the guardian concedes, at any point, that they are equal, or that the Wuji is in fact superior, then the final stage will be passed and the Wuji will become Taiji – full bonded. In ceremonial battles, the Abjune's protection is then entrusted to the bonded male."

"That seems more than a little sexist," I grumbled. "I can very well fight my own damn battles. And what's with the whole passed from one guy to another?"

The cat quirked his head at me and said, "You do know most the people here are hundreds of years old, and the traditions around Abjune go back thousands more. Feminism and equality are still rather modern in the living world. Even a hundred of years ago, it was fairly rare for a woman to know how to defend herself. A very long time ago, before guardians were established, it was actually rather common for bonds to be forced on an unwilling Abjune. Consent and abuse weren't even concepts here until about six hundred years ago."

"That's insane! I thought being an Abjune was a freaking honor!" I yelled, completely unable to believe this bullshit.

"You guys are able to do something that it was once believed only Gods could do. That doesn't mean that Abjune, or women in general, have always been treated well. Sexism is not exclusive to the past, either. I can name only six esteemed female Soul Reapers that I know exist today – one of which is now locked up, awaiting execution. If you want to jump on a soap box and fight for equality, then do it in your world. There are too many old fashioned minds to change."

"You sound bitter," Orihime noted.

Yoruichi shook his head, "I apologize for my harshness. Circumstances here are not awful, but I also want you to understand what you are facing. It's always an uphill battle here."

"Anyway, knowing what you know now, I feel much better about your chances," Yoruichi said, changing the subject and moving on.

"Speaking of knowledge," I started. "How is it that you just so happen to know all about this stuff? Did you guys all take Abjune-Sciences at some point or something?"

Orihime also turned to look at the suddenly sheepish looking cat, "Well, no actually. It isn't common to know much about the Abjune, and even what I know is nothing significant. In fact, most information about your kind is stored in a library only a few can access in the middle of the Seireitei."

"Then how do you know so much?"

"Seventy years ago, the last known Abjune, a woman named Nanami, gave me a scroll with a black seal on it and told me to memorize its contents. She said, 'One day, you'll need to help two young Abjune, and the only way you'll be able to do that, is if you know everything in this scroll'. As you can guess, Nanami had the power of foresight. She must have predicted that we would meet, and, apparently, that you would need my help."

"That's incredible! Power of foresight, wow," Orihime's voice was brimming with awe.

"She was an incredible woman, too. She was centuries ahead of her time, and is likely the only reason Soul Society is as forward as it is now. Still decades behind the living world, but still," I could tell Yoruichi held nothing but the utmost respect for this woman. I could see why he would, she sounded amazing.

And yet…

"You said 'was'," I pointed out. "Is she dead – or whatever this world's equivalent is."

"Yes," Yoruichi said, with a solemn little bob of his head. "She faded from this world not long after she gave me the scroll. Fortunately for us, she is survived by her bonded. It is possible that he might advocate for you two, if ever you are captured."

"Who is he?"

"The current Captain-Commander: Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto," both Orihime and I blinked in astonishment at this answer.

"Captain-Commander," I repeated. "How high up is this guy?"

"He heads the Gotei 13, and generally is the Seireitei's leading authority, aside from Central," the cat expounded, seeming unconcerned that his answer only left us more confused.

"If he'll help us, why don't we just go and appeal to him directly?" Orihime asked delicately.

"I wouldn't recommend it as anything other than a last resort," Yoruichi said with a negating shake of his head. "He's surrounded by too many strong Soul Reapers, some that I trust about as far as I can toss them. No, we wouldn't stand a chance – at least not immediately."

"Then how do we get to him if we have to," I felt a bit frustrated that there was no clear course of action. Our plans so far had operated solely upon improvisation and luck. I doubted that would change any time soon.

"You should try to find one of two people who will likely be inclined to help you. The first is Unohana Retsu, Captain of Squad 4. She'd be the one I'd go to first, but if you can't find her or she can't help, then you should go to Ukitake Jushiro, the Captain of Squad 13. I can't guarantee that they'll help you, but they are the only ones I'd trust enough to try," he shook his head with a heavy sigh. I tried to memorize the names to the best of my ability and I knew that Orihime was likely doing the same. Hopefully, we wouldn't need this fallback, but if things got dire…well, it always helps to have a plan B.

Yoruichi padded closer to us, and pointedly said, "I think I've covered about all I can cover, girls. The only other advice I have to give you is to stick with the others. Hiwarai, it is crucial that you not get separated from Ichigo. Not only is he your Guardian, but isolation is extremely dangerous for you – both of you. If you do, by chance, get separated, stick to the deserted areas of the Seireitei. The only thing worse than being isolated from your companions, is being isolated and surrounded by enemies. Both of you are inexperienced and barely trained – don't give me that look, you know you can't deny it. Don't forget that you aren't invulnerable here.

"Oh, and if you see a man with a face painted like a skeleton," the cat added. "Run as fast as you can in the other direction."

We both gave him emphatic nods to show we understood.

"Should we tell the others about this?" I didn't exactly know what rescue mission protocol demanded in this sort of scenario, but I didn't think keeping secrets would be all that wise. Therefore, I was rather surprised when the black feline said, "No, I think not."

"Why? Wouldn't we all be in more danger if we kept them in the dark?"

"I don't doubt that Chad or Uryuu would have very little issue with you two being Abjune, but I ask you, Hiwarai, as the person who knows your brother best, what he would do if he learned what you two just learned?" The cat asked with a delicately arched brow.

I felt my stomach sink instantly, "Oh, I see what you mean."

"We could try to reason with him," Orihime suggested.

I gave her an incredulous look, "Have you met the bulldozer that is Ichigo's personality?"

My best friend winced, "You have a point… But, that still doesn't mean we can't tell the other two."

I sighed, leaning my elbow on my knee and my chin in my palm, "I think we could tell Chad, but Uryuu is a bit of a Chatty-Kathy. I don't want to take the chance of him slipping up and saying something in front of Ichigo."

We both looked over at Yoruichi for confirmation and he shrugged, "I have no objections to that. Chad _is_ very discreet."

I nodded, "Okay, we'll just wait until we can talk to Chad alone, and then we can fill him in. Sound good, Orihime?"

"Mmhmm," she hummed with a nod.

"Is there anything else?" I asked of the cat.

"No, the rest can be discussed in front of the others," Yoruichi said as we all got to our feet. "From this point forw – "

"AHA!"

The sound of door slamming open, accompanied by that exclamation made all three of us just about jump out of our skins. I turned, heart racing to glare at the grinning teenager in the doorway.

"Found you guys," Ichigo trumpeted as he walked into the room and grabbed my arm. "Come on, dinner's ready."

I blinked up at him as he tugged me out of the room, "That's the reason you scared us half to death? Because you were _hungry_?"

He responded with a casual, "Psh, don't be a wimp. You need to prepare for jump attacks anyway."

And this guy was supposed to be my _Guardian_? What had I done to earn _that_ level of cosmic justice?

"I swear, if Uryuu gets to those dumplings first, I'm going to bite his hand off," Ichigo grumbled.

Clearly, it must have been something unforgivable.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Sorry I've taken so long to do this chapter, guys. Real life shit. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it, though this one is sort of filler. Thanks for all the favs, follows, and reviews also!**

 **Disclaimer: Do not own!**

 **Chapter 4**

I absently ran my finger along the rim of my bowl, staring into its contents without actually seeing them. I'd tried to choke the meager meal down, regardless of the knots in my stomach, but each bite was like sawdust in my mouth. My mind was a million miles away from wanting food and it seemed that my stomach just didn't have the will to compensate.

I know that Yoruichi had taken the time to sit and explain things, but it felt like I'd absorbed almost none of it. We'd finished talking not even ten minutes ago, and the conversation already seemed muddled, murky and distant. It was like I'd woken from some lucid fever dream; all mystery and mayhem, but no real context.

Abjune…Taiji…Wuji…Reiatai…Bonded…Di-yi…

What the hell did it all mean? How was I supposed to react? What was I supposed to do with information that I didn't even understand? I took a deep, if shaky, breath and forced myself to calm. Okay. I just have to break it down like I did with Russian Literature; extract the parts that I understand, set aside the unknown phrases, and then build from the core information. So, I guess I start with the basics:

 _Abjune – A gifted individual who can give birth to another soul._

Weird, but got it.

 _Bonded – A "partner" whose Reiatsu helps create that new soul._

I was a bit dubious about the whole "create a new soul" part, because every time I tried to imagine the process, it inevitably goes deep into "Ewww" territory.

 _The Bond – A metaphysical tie between the bonded and the Abjune._ I think.

A permanent union between two people? I didn't even know how to feel about that one. Most of my thought processes when it came to boys were: "he's kinda cute", "maybe I should talk to him", and "Oh shit, my brother sees him. Run, cute guy, Run!" End scene. Even the _idea_ of an eternal romantic entanglement was so far out of my realm of expectation that it might as well of been, literally, in another dimension. Cue irony.

Anyway…the bond. Yoruichi said that there were three steps to that, right?

 _First – A powerful Soul makes first contact by way of a single, skin-to-skin touch. This initiates a bond._

I looked down at my short-sleeved Tee and Capri pants – or, more accurately, all the skin said clothing left exposed – with a grimace. I rubbed at my arms, feeling suddenly vulnerable and exposed despite the rather modest attire. I tugged my wristband more firmly around my wrist, wishing I'd remembered to bring a jacket. Or a parka. Or a full body condom.

 _Second – If the Soul is compatible, then a second instance of contact will lock the bond._

 _And Third – To fully complete the bond, a battle between the Abjune's Guardian and the Soul commences._

Here's where I get confused. If the second contact is meant to affirm a bond, then what point was there to the last and final step? I mean, I wasn't complaining about the complexity – the more complicated it was, the less chance I had of accidentally bonding. Maybe, as Yoruichi said, an Abjune without a Guardian, especially a long time ago, would have had very few defenses against an unwanted mate. Bonded. Whatever.

 _Guardian – A being who protects the Abjune from danger and unwanted advances. A potential bonded must battle them for the final stage and win the hand of the fair maiden._

Enter, Ichigo, my very own fire-breathing dragon.

"Are you gonna eat that?"

I blinked, startled, turning to my flame-haired sibling. He was staring at my food with that verge-of-starvation gleam in his eyes. I sighed and passed my bowl to the Bottomless Stomach, knowing I'd risk loss of limb if I refused. He and Karin often went toe-to-toe for the last serving at home, what with her appetite being nearly as fearsome as Ichigo's. Yuzu and I learned, long ago, to just get the hell out of their way. I watched in fascinated revulsion as my brother finished the small meal off; a garbled phrase that I believe was supposed to be an 'thank you' emerging from around a mouthful of food.

I had no time to resume my contemplations, as we went right into planning how to get past that giant wall and into the Seireitei. Yoruichi explained that forces would doubtlessly be tightened around the perimeter, which was only understandable. The cat's apparent lack of concern about Soul Reapers coming to attack us outside the wall was why, when we heard crashing sounds coming from outside, I wasn't too terribly alarmed. Until, of course, the door caved in and a figure tumbled into the room, rolling to a stop in a messy sprawl at our feet. In a baffled silence, we stared as the newcomer pushed themselves up with a grunt.

The first thing I noticed about the guy was that he was about as tall as Ichigo, but more muscular. With his head covered in a white and red bandana, as well a pair of sunglasses over his eyes, all you could see of his face was a broad jaw and an equally wide grin. His voice was deep and cheery as he bickered good-naturedly with our host, seeming unconcerned that he'd just broken the man's door.

He turned his head, caught sight of a perplexed Ichigo and scowled, "Ya wanna tell me why there's a stinkin' Soul Reaper here?"

The man tucked his glasses away as he stalked over to my brother, revealing features that were harshly cut and rough; though still vaguely handsome, in a very masculine way. He looked weathered, like he spent most of his time in the sun. Hearty was the first word that came to mind.

Ichigo, covering his confusion with bravado, demanded, "What did you just say to me?"

"What's the matter," the man said with a condescending smirk. "You're ears not workin'?"

The man lifted a hand and patted Ichigo's cheek with a mocking sort of tenderness, "I said 'Would somebody explain to me why there's a goddamn Soul Reaper here'."

The two men glared daggers at each other, while I stood beside my brother, wondering what the hell was going on. I'd reached out, hoping to reign in my sibling's temper before it got out of control, when this moron reached up and grabbed Ichigo by the chin. Fool sealed his own fate the moment he said, "Well, you gonna answer me you sniveling dandelion?"

When the larger man was sent flying across the room, I could only sigh, "Shouldn't have brought up his hair."

One minute the guy was pouting over the fact that my brother had clocked him and the next, the lunatic was boldly introducing himself as Ganju – at least, I think that was his name, I was distracted by all his titles. After a few moments of bickering, Ichigo called Ganju a fool – which, really? Kettle. Pot.

Anyway, Ganju head butt tackled my sibling, and they went tumbling out on the street. More than accustomed to my brother brawling it out for any and all reasons, I hung back, for the most part unconcerned. If I was ever sure about anything, then it was the fact that my brother could hold his own in a fist fight. Then again, as this world has seen fit to show me, nothing here is as it seems. Given my first impression of Jidanbo _and_ Gin were so wrong, I no longer had much confidence in my ability to assess a threat.

Then again, a man who walks around as the self-proclaimed (his words, not mine) Boss Man of Rukon district, couldn't be _that_ dangerous, right?

Okay, so I was a littleconcerned when Ganju pulled out what looked like a butcher's knife and brandished it at my weaponless brother. Luckily, Chad has no qualms about tossing my brother's Zanpakuto around like it's a fucking _javelin_. Ichigo caught the blade perfectly and blocked Ganju's next attack. I, on the other hand, couldn't get the image of my sibling speared on his own sword like a mountain trout on a fishing spike, out of my head.

Their fight carried on with the expected display of ego and bluster, only to end, quite abruptly, when the alleyway was filled with a jangling ring. Ganju stumbled, tripped, and then slid on his face to a full stop. Before I could absorb this spectacular display of grace, he was on his feet again, completely unconcerned with his own fumble. Even _I_ winced when I saw the red swath of road burn that extended from his forehead to his chin. Ganju didn't even seem to notice. He only turned to his posse – who rode around on boars, of all things – and demanded to know what time it was. I could have sworn, even, that there was a slight tinge of fear in his voice.

When he heard that it was nine o'clock, that battered mug of his went slack with shock. He whistled sharply, calling out, "Time to go, Bonnie!"

 _Bonnie?_

Suddenly, an enormous boar vaulted over my brother's head and slammed into Ganju. He was tossed several yards, doing some more face skidding before once again popping up like nothing had happened. He warmly admonished the giant pig for being "too playful." Considering the glint of murder in her eyes, I had the feeling that Bonnie wasn't really the playful type. The man stood in the street and watched the pig charge toward him with the type of obliviousness that, I concluded, could only come from severe brain damage.

Physics defying Ganju landed perfectly, though also _backwards_ , upon the boar. He continued to yell threats, obscenities, and insults even as he rode away. This left a very irritated Ichigo standing in the middle of the road, shouting after him. I don't know why, but my angry, flailing sibling nearly being trampled by a gang of Boar Riders felt like some kind of bizarre omen.

Dusty, bruised, and clearly at a loss for words, Ichigo stared blankly after them. Uryuu dropped a consoling hand on my brother's shoulder, proclaiming that the whole event was a complete disaster, and generally not helping the situation at all. Unlike Ganju, my brother was not immune to the effects of humiliation, his face going ruddy with rage while he cursed and swore vengeance against the pig-straddler.

 _What a ridiculous human being,_ I thought, with exasperated fondness, as my seventeen year old brother threw a temper tantrum. I turned my eyes away from my snarling sibling to the scowling Yoruichi, "So…is Soul Society _completely_ populated by crazy people, or are we just lucky in our meeting all the ones who _are_?"

Yoruichi's sideways glance was amused, "A little of both, I think."

I huffed at that, but could not dispute it _._

…

The next morning, after one last check-up on a snoring, fully healed Jidanbo, we headed out. It seemed a night's rest had eased Ichigo's bruised pride, as well. Oh sure, he grumbled and gnashed his teeth, but I think he realized that this venture wasn't about petty squabbles with insane pig riders. Ichigo was still plenty immature, but he wasn't about to risk a precious person's life because of his ego.

We were looking for the home of a person called Kukaku Shiba – a person who, if Yoruichi was to be believed, had a way of getting us past the wall. Yoruichi also told us that, what with this Kukaku changing houses every few months, he couldn't tell us what to look for. He only said, "We'd know it when we see it."

It was a statement that was baffling, cryptic, and dead on. Seems this was a working trend for our small feline companion. The squat, plain looking house we came upon was definitely not what I'd been expecting. With what, I believed, had to be the universe's largest chimney glued to the back of it _and_ two giant arms sticking out of the ground on either side of the buildings front, I could safely say that I had never seen anything of its like. There was a banner held up above the house by those two enormous arms, but the writing on it was weirdly archaic. So archaic, in fact, that I couldn't even read it.

I was curious about the type of person who'd live in such a…unique…house, but my brother and Uryuu seemed weirdly embarrassed to even approach it. Was it a guy thing? Chad didn't seem the least bit bothered, but then Chad was rarely bothered by much.

Within a few feet of the building we heard a booming command: "Halt!"

I looked up and spotted two large men, perched atop the arms' giant, clenched fists. They jumped down a moment later, landing heavily before us. We stood there for a moment in the shadow of this ridiculous house and it's equally ridiculous twin guardians, until the duo noticed Yoruichi with wide eyes. One minute they were a snarling menace, and the next, they were all apologetic reverence. It was a bit surreal, being led to the front door by two grown men who gushed like a couple of fangirls meeting their teenage idol. Beyond the door was a steep staircase, which one of the burly "brothers" began to descend with our mystified group in tow.

The rest of us were briefly, and only barely, acknowledged as "Yoruichi's servants" as we followed the man. What the hell? I was, admittedly, more than a tad insulted by this, but also, curious. A quick glance around and I could tell we were all thinking the same thing:

 _Just_ who was _Yoruichi?_

At the bottom of the stairs was a simple but well lit hallway. Our escort – if he'd mentioned a name, I couldn't remember it – stopped before the first sliding door, so we crammed together behind him. With a low bow toward the room's sole occupant, the man sidestepped, and placed us in full, unobstructed view of Kukaku Shiba. To our collective surprise and disbelief, the person lounging on the floor was a woman. Even more shocking, she seemed not all happy to see Yoruichi – or any of us for that matter. This woman, with a sheathed sword strapped to her back and a cloth messily wrapped around her head, had an aura of lazy aggression which said, "If you were on fire and I had a bucket of water, I'd sit back and watch you burn."

This _is the lady who's supposed to help us into the Seireitei_?

"Hey, Yoruichi," Kukaku spoke informally, but there was nothing in her tone that could be called friendly. She looked over the cat's head at us, a brief look of contempt crossing her face, "Oi, what's with the fucking gaggle of brats at your heels?"

"Hello Kukaku," Yoruichi responded, completely unruffled as he moved to sit before her. He let her question pass over him, as if she hadn't spoken the words at all. Though I was impressed by the elegant dismissal, Kukaku, understandably, was _not_.

The woman sniffed, blue eyes cool and voice biting, "Why are you here?"

"Ah, right to the point, it seems," the cat muttered almost fondly. "I've come to ask for your help."

"Ain't that the only reason you ever look me up?" the woman snapped, eyes growing hard as she and Yoruichi stared each other down. Abruptly, almost softly, she asked, "Is it dangerous?"

"Probably," Yoruichi said, the word uttered almost reluctantly.

The woman leaned back, eyes closing as a small smile of satisfaction crossed her lips. She seemed to savor something for a moment, before opening her eyes to stare down at the black cat with a grin, "Been a long fucking time since we talked, my friend. But still, you should have remembered… I have a taste for danger."

Yoruichi's lips lifted in a slow, victorious smirk, "Who said I forgot."

…

Kukaku cut the cat of mid-sentence a short while later; waving away his words once she got the gist of our situation, "Alright, alright! Fuck. I got it. Still a fan of words, aren't ya?"

She paused, lifting her pipe to her mouth and inhaling the smoke in with an elegance that was at odds with her coarse tongue. She eyed us, releasing the breath with a gruff, "Eh, what the hell. I'll do it."

"Excellent," Yoruichi practically hummed with approval.

"With Urahara involved, how _can_ I refuse," She stood, right arm swinging limply at her side. Confused, I studied the limb for a minute, eyes widening when I realized it wasn't an arm at all – it was a prosthesis. Before she could catch me staring, I quickly looked away, only registering her burgundy aura out the corner of my eye. With the false arm, the pipe – plus her attitude in general – Kukaku managed to remind me of a Pirate Queen. This was a woman who commanded men and women alike; exhaling authority and power with the same ease she breathed that smoke. This was not a woman to take lightly.

"One problem, though," Kukaku said, turning her attention to the rest of us. "I don't trust these kids you dragged with you."

She said it easily, no tone of suspicion, just simple observation. It was a bit…weird.

"So," she continued. "I'm going to leave them with an overseer."

"An overseer?" Yoruichi asked, trying and failing to mask his own confusion.

"Eh, I call him that, but he's actually my kid brother," she stated as she wandered to the door on our left. After a brief exchange of words between her and the man on the other side, the door slid open. There, bowing respectfully on his knees, was none other than Ganju, the Boar Rider from Rukon.

I looked at him, bewildered, but he didn't immediately recognize us. At least, not until his eyes landed on Ichigo. When they both jumped to their feet with simultaneous shouts of shock, Ichigo, seeming to forget that I was still sitting at his feet, tripped over my knee and flew at Ganju. Ganju, thinking he was being attacked, punched my brother in the face. Obviously not a fan of that, Ichigo steadied his footing before throwing a fist right into Ganju's nose.

What ensued was a flurry of punches, insults and general stupidity. In the chaos, one of the bozos bumped into Kukaku, which might not have been a big deal, if that bump hadn't knocked her pipe out of her hand _and_ if another of the morons hadn't then stepped on it. The woman stared down at the broken bits of her pipe in shock. I watched the thrum in her aura with a growing sense of dread. Trusting my instincts when they told me to run, I jumped to my feet, pulled the person nearest me to theirs (Uryuu – if their complaining was anything to go by), and was headed for the door before Yoruichi could finish saying, "I think we might want to get out of here."

I sprinted up the stairs, heat licking at my back, reaching the front door just as a concussive roar echoed out around us. I looked over my shoulder, stupefied at the destruction Kukaku Shiba had inflicted upon her own home. The building belched out a cloud of smoke as its left side sank into the ground with a creaking grunt. I felt sweat bead at the back of my neck when I realized that this was likely the reason the woman had to move so much. A literally explosive temper. Heh.

When all was quiet, we cautiously worked our way back down the now charred staircase. The room we returned to was a cluttered mess of debris. Kukaku was stomping at the ground, yelling at her brother with a vehemence that had everyone in the roomcringing. She turned her snarl on us when she saw our group hovering in the doorway, "You looking at somethin'?!"

"Nope!"

"No ma'am!"

"No!"

"Nuh-uh."

A head shake from Chad.

Satisfied that we weren't going to fuss, she turned away, either not hearing or not caring about our unanimous sigh of relief. I started to go for my brother when his orange head peeked up from the wreckage, but the sight of Kukaku stalking towards him stopped me in my tracks. She wrenched Ichigo up by his collar like he was a naughty kitten, completely unfazed that the teenager was more than a head taller than her as she held him at eyelevel.

"Listen here you little punk bastard," she growled at my sibling, shaking him when he tried to shrink away from her wrath. "You're in _my_ house – if you don't like the way I run it, you can get the fuck out. Questions?"

"Nope," Ichigo said, voice cracking, ash covered face suitably terrified. "I-I'm good. I understand. Your house, your rules."

She leaned back with a smile, "I'm glad."

Kukaku walked away from Ichigo without another word. My sibling collapsed in the rubble, then immediately inch-wormed over to Ganju. I couldn't hear what they whispered to each other, but I wondered if they had come to some sort of truce by way of a now mutual fear. Unlikely, but possible.

A few moments later, the older woman began to bark out orders and Ichigo snapped to his feet at her words, saluting for no apparent reason.

"Alright, everyone else, gather up your crap and follow me," she spun on her heel sharply, clearly expecting us to obey.

Kukaku Shiba was obviously dangerous, possibly crazy, definitely scary…

And absolutely my new hero.

…

So…the chimney is not _really_ a chimney, after all.

No, turns out, it's just a giant cannon that shoots humans. You know, the sort of thing that sane people usually keep in their houses. We stood upon the cannons platform as it was raised out of the Earth, and in the time it took us to reach the surface, I thoroughly examined just how normal my life _definitely_ no longer was. And how that fact bothered me a lot less than I thought it would.

Kukaku, the fireworks expert of Rukon District, delighted in our bewilderment once the "launch pad" had locked in place. When she went on to explain her plan to use said cannon to get us into the Seireitei, Uryuu, possessing fewer survival instincts than I thought, questioned the woman's intelligence and called her plan preposterous. An unusual looking ball to the face was her reply to his misgivings; one she threw so hard that it did a few rotations against his skull before bouncing off and landing in Ichigo's hands. We all looked down at the object, which was a glass orb, about a size smaller than a basketball, with a red crane-like insignia on it.

"What's this?" Ichigo queried blankly, spinning the ball this way and that, as if the answer to his question was written somewhere upon it.

Kukaku stated, "It's a Spirit Core. Just put your palms on it and concentrate your spirit energy."

"Like this?" Ichigo began squeezing the orb in his hands, grunting and growling down at it. When several seconds passed and he'd managed to do little more than look thoroughly constipated, my brother belatedly asked if someone could show him how. I may or may not have face-palmed.

Kukaku managed to sound puzzled and pissed at the same time, "Any Soul Reaper should be able to do this with fucking ease."

She raised her arm and quite effortlessly condensed soul energy beneath an open palm. She dropped her hand and released the ball of energy when Yoruichi interjected, explaining that Ichigo was only a _Substitute_ Reaper and therefore didn't know how to control his soul energy. A blushing, blustering Ichigo tried to make up for this perceived inadequacy by muttering over the ball like he was on the verge of figuring it out.

"Yeah, I can see that," Kukaku said dryly, a soft huff of laughter escaping her.

"It's cool, Ichigo," I said reassuringly, patting my brother on the back. "We all know you're a strong Soul Reaper. You're just not…classically trained, is all. In fact, since you had to learn it basically on your own, it's even more impressive."

At first, it looked like Ichigo would brush off my words, but then he quirked his head slightly in my direction and asked, "Really?"

"Duh, you're the only one of us who actually, sorta knows what he's doing! I mean, just look at Uryuu, poor guy's _still_ out cold," I said, nodding toward Uryuu who was, indeed, still unconscious.

"Hiwarai is right," Orihime chimed in. "I'm sure you'll figure it out in no time!"

Chad nodded in agreement. Ichigo smiled brilliantly at us, but also seemed a tad embarrassed by the praise.

Kukaku scoffed, "Oh, please. Effort doesn't mean shit when you don't know what the hell you're doing. Ganju, show these amateurs how it's done."

Ganju, eager to prove himself, leapt for the orb in Ichigo's hands. My brother, in an attempt to be as childish as possible, dodged the other man's swipe. He managed to keep it away from Ganju's grasp until Kukaku, tired of their posturing and general idiocy, bashed them over the head.

"Enough of your crap! Get to it," she shouted at them.

"Yes sir," the boys said in unison as they rubbed at their sore heads. Ichigo passed the orb to him with a reluctant pout, which Ganju snatched up with a dirty look. And here I thought they'd come to a _truce_.

The pig-straddler's subsequent demonstration left all of us, even Ichigo, impressed. Around him was a sphere of matte, white-blue energy, which hummed softly as he compressed Reiatsu into the orb. Kukaku even stepped close to rap her knuckles against it, just to show us that the energy was actually solid.

"You brats seem to think that a wall is the only thing keeping you out of the Seireitei," her tone was so scathing we hadn't a doubt that she thought us simple. "It's much more than that."

She turned to us, voice noticeably softer, "That barrier is made up of a stone that's rare even in the Soul Society. This," she proffered an unassuming looking pebble for the lot of us to see, "is just one small piece of it."

Kukaku placed the fragment on the ground, raised her good arm high, and then smashed her fist down upon the small stone. I gasped in surprise to see that the tiny rock was the only thing _not_ obliterated. It rested in the center of the small crater, upon a wonky little pillar of dirt, unharmed.

"This stone _completely_ repels spirit energy," she explained. "Therefore, it's impossible to smash through with spirit energy alone."

I sucked in a sharp breath at that information, feeling a little dizzy. So, the whole 'stand beneath the massive gate and shoot it with a brilliant blue ball of _spirit energy'_ in retrospect, not the best idea _._ That would have been a lot messier if Gin, of all people, hadn't pushed me out of the way.I felt a sudden, and frankly unwelcome, sense of gratitude toward the smarmy faced Captain. Had he known that he was saving my life? Or had he just wanted me out of the way? Regardless of his intentions, I was faced with the unpleasant certainty that I now owed the man a debt. A life debt.

Fuck.

I tuned back into the conversation in time to hear, "Not only does the barrier surrounding the Seireitei protect it from attacks from above, but also…those coming from underground."

Kukaku seem weirdly pleased that this information made us cry out in disbelief. If what she was saying was true, then there was no way into the Seireitei. Basically, we were doomed to fail. Before we could sink into despair, she said, "So that's why, kiddies, we use this!"

She pushed her fist against the ball of spirit energy a gaunt, sickly looking Ganju still had formed. He groaned, looking completely drained. When he complained, Kukaku just snapped at him, "Suck it, up!"

"Anyway, this cannon ball is a special Hard Spirit Partition Penetration device of my own invention," she went on to explain, clearly unworried that her brother was rapidly zombifying. "In other words, if all five of you, combined, put your spirit energy into this ReisuKaku, you should create a cannonball that can break through the barrier."

Should wasn't a word choice I was particularly fond of, but I had a feeling, that if what she'd told us was even the least bit accurate, that this might be our one and only shot.

"So that's it," she summarized. "I use my cannon to shoot you into the air so you lot can crash into the barrier. Easy. Any questions?"

She answered for us with, "No? Alright then, take them to the underground training room so they can practice using spirit energy."

Shooting up from the sidelines, the Muscle Twins rushed to obey. They scooped up Orihime, Uryuu, and even my brother. Now ultra-sensitive being touched, I tried running away. Unfortunately, for a pair of lumbering mountains, the pair could be pretty quick on their feet. In no time at all, one of the Mustache Men had grabbed me by the back of my shirt. I squawked as I was snatched up and tossed over his shoulder. Conscious of every inch of my exposed skin, I instantly went stiff.

Maybe it wouldn't matter; Yoruichi – where the hell was that cat anyway – said that they had to be Soul Reapers of a certain rank, right? But then, I didn't know what rank these guys were, if they even had one. I _really_ didn't want to run the risk of bonding with one of the wonder twins. I mean, I'm sure they're lovely fellows, once you get past their yelling and…mustache-ness…

If I summoned Nekomi and poked him in the butt with Pansateru, he'd probably drop me, right?

I was still considering it when the man beneath me skidded to a stop and dumped me on the ground. I stood up slowly, rubbing at my now sore behind (stupid karma.)

I gawked at the training room we'd been brought to, as it was massive, almost like a gymnasium, but…whiter. The place was devoid of color or training equipment of any kind. Just what were we supposed to do here again? I got my answer a moment later when they tossed each of us our very own orb.

Our two 'teachers' were not very adept at teaching us anything, as it turns out. It should also be noted that their least capable student was my brother. Though Ichigo was no stranger to absurd and obnoxious lessons (usually courtesy my father), this…this must have been a new level of torture.

"No, no, no, no," both the twins stomped about in an impotent rage. "That's not how you do it Ichigo! Aren't you listening?"

"I'm trying," growled the teen; waving the tightly clenched ball in his hands about while the two older men… danced? I wasn't sure, to be honest. They seemed to confuse an odd mixture of hip-thrusts and arm waving with encouragement of some sort. Overall, the three made for a very odd sight. In contrast, the rest of us were calmly concentrating upon our own energy spheres on the other side of the room. Even with Ganju leaning against the wall "overseeing" our, uh, education, the whole thing was going every way but smoothly.

…

Several hours passed before they decided it was time to test us. The majority of our group was somewhere close to competent at it by then, so we all lined up and prepared to show the twins – and Ganju – what we'd learned. The order was Orihime, Uryuu, Chad, Ichigo, and then myself.

Orihime did well, really well actually. I think the only criticism they had for her was that the sphere appeared to be too soft, which made an odd sort of sense to me. My best friend isn't the type to which a hard, outer shell would come naturally – whether that shell be metaphorical or literal.

Next up was Uryuu. His sphere, though strong, was weirdly oval shaped. It was like he'd wanted to form a line but the orb wanted a circle, so they ended up making something half way between the two. Not only that, but there were these weird sparks coming from it. One of the men commented that it might have something to do with Uryuu's personality, which I couldn't help but agree with.

After him was Chad. Powerful, yes, but it was missing my friend's stalwart resolve. The sphere seemed unstable, which was strange when you considered just how stoic and calm Chad could be. He was the _definition_ of stable. Maybe there was a part of him, however small, that was unsure. That idea, in and of itself, was unsettling.

Then there was Ichigo. Even after all his effort, he could summon little more than a wisp of energy from the core. This, obviously, frustrated the two teachers; who saw fit to mercilessly rake my brother over the coals. Ichigo, infuriated by their incompetence and his own inability to make it work, threw the ball at the one of the Mustache Mountains. As soon as they'd yelled themselves into exhaustion, our teachers remembered that there was still one more person left to test.

Me.

They shoved my brother's orb back into his hands with an order to go practice in the corner – which he did with much grumbling – before turning to look at me expectantly. I clutched the orb uncertainly for a second, before taking a deep breath and beginning.

Orihime said she visualized a blanket. Uryuu, he'd thought of an arrow and a target. And Chad told me he saw a room with a single chair.

I, on the other hand, thought about bubble-gum. Odd choice, I know, but that's what was in my head. I saw a solid mass, my soul, as the gum. Then, like blowing up a bubble, I pushed against it. The 'bubble' would get bigger and bigger and bigger, until it was so big I could step inside. Every time before, the bubble had popped before I could enter it, but this time….

This time, it worked.

"Oh, very nice! Incredible power and control, plus, it looks to be quite solid," One of the muscle twins stated. I couldn't help the little bit of pride I felt as he said this. I'd achieved something. A thing that even _Ichigo_ hadn't been able to. It felt…good.

That was when I heard the other say, "I agree, it is quite – wait…what is that?"

Disturbed by his shocked tone, I opened my eyes. It didn't take long to realize what had caught his attention. A single band of bright blue, darker than the color of my own sphere, had formed around its circumference. I gaped, watching as the band began to rotate, slowly, almost lazily.

One of the men, the one with the white shirt, reached out a hand to touch the strange bit of energy. There was a heat to the air, as well as a bass rumble. Like thunder…or the growl of a large cat…

Eyes widening in realization, I shouted, "No! Don't touch it!"

Before the words had even left my lips, it was already too late.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Sorry this one has taken so long! My brother recently got married and there was just not enough free time to crank anything new out.**

 **Oh! Just so you know, I created a blog on tumblr for this story, though right now it only has sketches of the masks on it. Feel free to check them out, if you wish. The blog is named after this story, so just plug that in and it should take you right to the page. Hopefully.**

 **Also, thanks for all the favs and reviews guys! (To:DarkAngelLilithX) As a lovely reviewer pointed out, Byakuya has actually beaten Ichigo in battle. (Good job catching that, honestly sometimes even I forget and it's my story :/)**

 **And, according to my Abjune rule book that means… He has indeed passed stage three! Congratulations Byakuya! That does not mean he has completed the bond, though. (To: Kuro Neko to Kuro Bara) Let's see if I can actually clarify this, haha. Okay, so first contact MUST happen before second, but the third stage can actually be passed at any time. It can happen before first contact, between first contact and second, or after the two have been completed. Again, ALL stages must be passed for a confirmed bond, but only the first and second part must happen in sequence. All right, hopefully that cleared up some things, and if it didn't I'm going to repeatedly integrate all this into the story itself, as Hiwarai is even more helplessly confused than you – if that's even possible.**

 **Man, there so many rules and considerations for all this to work, I'm not surprised you had to point that out. I'll try to keep it coherent and logical, but it would be a miracle if I didn't leave at least half of you confused.**

 **This story is so crazy and convoluted…but I love every insane, nonsensical second of it.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the Bleach Franchise and never will. All my amateurish fumblings are for mine own and other's amusement.**

 **Chapter 5**

I could only stare at the fingers hovering mere centimeters from the blue band in a stunned silence. I opened my mouth, trying to force words of warning to my lips, but the sounds wouldn't come.

 _Stop. Stop! STOP!_

As if from thin air, Ganju appeared to grab the outstretched arm. He studied the bright blue energy for a long minute, hand clamped around the taller man's wrist. It was only when he dropped the limb that he stated, "I don't think it's a good idea to go touching things we don't understand. Can you dispel the sphere?"

He'd turned those last words upon me and I hurriedly nodded. I shut my eyes and imagined sucking the bubble back into myself. The process was more gradual than I would have liked–not to mention exhausting–but, in the end, it worked. I swayed on my feet, eyes only fluttering open when I felt a steadying hand on my shoulder. I blinked at Orihime and gave her a grateful, "Thanks."

She nodded, but only let go when I no longer looked like I was on the verge of collapse. I turned slightly, to find Ganju observing me. He took a step closer and said, "Something tells me that you know what that blue ring was."

It wasn't really a question, but I knew that was hardly a reason not to answer. "I _think_ I do," was my hesitant response. I had a feeling, but I wasn't sure.

"You want to elaborate?" He asked, voice and eyes hard–tentative ally or not, it was apparent that his trust extended only so far. A threat, even an unconscious one, would not be taken lightly.

"Hey, lay off her man!" Ichigo snapped as he moved to stand between me and Ganju. "It's just her power. Not her fault the guy was stupid enough to try and touch it."

"What did you just say!?"The Mustache Man in question growled. The ensuing argument was enough to distract Ganju from his interrogation, so I edged to the back of the room. There was an unpleasant tug in my stomach as I leaned my forehead against the wall and let out a heavy breath. I stared down at my shaking hands, clasping them together until they turned white with the pressure. I needed to calm down. Nothing had happened. Hell, I didn't even know what _would_ have happened if he'd touched that band. But I'd been scared–was still scared, actually.

By the time a shy young man came to announce that dinner was ready, that anxious sickness had abated; or, at the very least, been pushed to the back of my mind.

As all of us, except Ichigo, headed toward the door, Orihime lagged behind, chirping out assurance that she was actually quite full. I glanced at her, knowing the real reason she wanted to stay, even if my oblivious sibling did not. As Ichigo urged her to go, I saw a brief shimmer of hurt in her eyes, though it was quickly replaced by an artificial smile.

Oh, Orihime…

Just for that, as I walked by my brother, I kicked him right in the shin, "Idiot."

"Ow! Dammit, Hiwarai, what the hell was that for?!" Ichigo yowled as I stomped away from him.

"For being you," I hissed. As hard as it sometimes was for me to believe, there were two women in love with my brother, and, if he wasn't careful, he'd end up hurting _both_ of them. Regardless of whom he chose–if he chose–I knew at least one would wind up with a broken heart.

As I followed after my companions, watching the bobbing amber mane of my best friend, I had to fight down a sudden surge of pity. If the way my brother looked at Rukia Kuchiki was anything to go by, then Orihime was fighting a losing battle.

The worst part is…I think she knew it too.

…

I only realized I was starving when we all sat down before our meals. The moment my knees hit the floor, I wolfed down the food like I was channeling a certain brother of mine. When it was gone, I collapsed on my back with a happy groan. Chad looked amused, Uryuu revolted, and Orihime…. She stared down at her meal, a soft frown on her face, not even bothering to nibble at it.

My brow furrowed, eyes narrowing upon the dim glow of her aura until it came into focus. It was a clear, pastel blue – like a cloudless summer sky. I ignored this because, despite what some may believe, the color of a person's aura had nothing to do with their mood. The blue coloring, as wel as its clarity, told me only that she had an open and forthright personality. No, if I wanted to know her emotional state, I had to look at the edge of her aura – to the fluctuations and vibrations of its light. It roiled in slow, laborious curves – like a building storm. With years of experience deciphering these "Soul Waves" under my belt, it took me little more than a second to figure out that she was worried. It was my years of experience as her _friend_ , however, that helped me figure out _why_.

I sighed, "Orihime."

She jumped and turned to stare at me with wide eyes–as if I'd just caught her doing something criminal. I smirked, "Go ahead and eat Ori."

"But I – um, no…I'm not," she stuttered, trying and failing to derive an excuse for not eating without giving away the fact that she was saving the meal for Ichigo.

"I've got about four granola bars in my bag," I told her. _He won't starve_ , went unsaid. She blushed, realizing that I'd seen right through her, but smiled at my reassurance, "O-okay."

I waited until Orihime quietly, hesitantly, began eating before I turned away. I laid there for a minute, seriously considering taking a quick nap, when Uryuu spoke up, "Hiwarai?"

"Hmm," I hummed in reply.

"Back in the training room," he said. "Ganju asked you if you knew what that energy band was. You appeared to have a theory, but Ichigo interrupted before you could explain. I'm curious, what were you going to say?"

I opened my eyes slowly, feeling the weight of their questioning gazes all too well, "I thought…I mean, I _think_ it was Nekomi."

"Nekomi?" Orihime and Uryuu blankly echoed. Chad didn't say anything, but I had a feeling that he was already reaching his own conclusions. Even if he'd only seen the mask that one time, I didn't doubt that he remembered it.

"What is a Nekomi?" Ishida demanded. "Is it dangerous?"

"He…I…you don't understand…it's not," I stopped, feeling it was best to show them before I tried to say anything more.

' _Nekomi_ ,' I called and immediately felt him unfurl from my soul like a cat from its slumber. The mask formed upon my face a moment later with a burst of blue fire. Both unaccustomed and unprepared for the sight, they all flinched back. I felt a touch of remorse for startling them, but a greater part of me undeniably enjoyed the sight of their shocked faces.

' _Kitten_ ,' Nekomi drawled the single word out, managing to make it both a greeting and a question at the same time.

' _Do you mind if I introduce you to a few friends?'_ I asked apprehensively, knowing that he'd never been…enthusiastic about the idea before. He didn't seem interested in talking to anyone but me. It was both flattering and frustrating. He mulled it over while my three companions stared at the mask with awed curiosity.

"This is Nekomi," I stated as he weighed the pros and cons of communicating with 'non-Hiwarais.'

"A mask?" Uryuu asked a touch dubiously. "I saw it before–in the portal."

"That was him," I nodded.

"He…," the dark-haired boy murmured, pushing his glasses up his nose as he considered my statement. "Are you suggesting that it's sentient?"

"Yes," I affirmed carefully. ' _Nekomi…?'_

An ' _I'm still thinking'_ was all he grumped back.

"Does he talk?" Orihime chirped, leaning around Chad to get a good look at us.

"He's not a very…sociable…creature, but he _can_ talk," I tentatively supplied. The speculative gleam in Ishida's eyes told me that my emphasized 'can' had not gone unnoticed. Just because he _could_ talk, didn't mean that he _would_.

"Aw, is he shy?" Orihime said with a soft, sympathetic coo. It was a familiar tone, usually reserved for small, injured animals and elderly people – not demonic masks. Also, I'm pretty sure that if you looked 'shy' up in the dictionary, you'd find Nekomi's name among the suggested antonyms. From the sharp, barking laughter that echoed between my ears, I figured my mask was of a similar opinion.

"Er, well –," I started with a small wince of a smile, only to be cut off by an impatient Uryuu. "What is he?"

"He's a…fragment of my soul, I think. Neither of us are too sure," I answered, giving Orihime a curious glance when she gasped. Her silver-grey eyes had a moon-like quality to them, glazed as they were with thoughtful surprise. A slender hand reached up to touch one of the two flower shaped hairclips holding back her bangs – gifts I knew to be from her late brother.

' _Well, it looks like you can handle the conversation from here. Not like a "fragment" has any_ thoughts _or_ feelings _to include, after all.'_ Nekomi said with an indignant huff, because my mask possessed the temperament of a toddler and had an ego big enough to span the Pacific Ocean. (Though, to be honest, that's kinda part of his charm.)

' _Oh my God, are you pouting?!'_ I felt myself wavering between confused sympathy and incredulous laughter. I mean, was he seriously upset over a simple word – and not even an offensive one at that?

'… _No.'_

' _You're definitely pouting.'_

' _Am not!'_

"So a piece of your soul splintered off and formed a completely different personality – even gender – all on its own?" Uryuu's words, forged in skepticism and sharpened with distrust, cut across my inward dialogue like a knife.

I blanched at the persecution in his tone, "What are you trying to say, Uryuu?"

He leveled me with hard cobalt eyes, "How do you know that Nekomi is part of _your_ soul?"

 _And not somebody else's…_

That implication hung in the air, suspended between our clashing gazes. I forbid myself to falter, to allow that insidious question root, because I knew…just knew. I let him see that resolve in my eyes – an impenetrable wall of fire composed purely of my will. My answer to that question was this certainty, wordless and complete.

' _Hiwarai…'_ I didn't know how to describe the softly spoken word at the back of my head. Grateful, anxious, happy, reverent, nervous. All of them? None of them? Before I had the chance to ask, his physical presence disappeared in a puff of blue fire as his mental one faded to away. I kept my eyes steady, forcing myself to focus on Uryuu. Unsettled as I was by Nekomi's abrupt departure, I refused to let it show.

Finally, Ishida closed his eyes with a sigh, conceding with, "Stubbornness must be a defining characteristic of the Kurosaki family, I swear."

That comment went a long way toward clearing the room of its stifling tension, but it was my slow grin that cleared it completely, "It's one of our best qualities, if I do say so myself."

That's when I noticed something black out of the corner of my eye. I turned to find it was our feline companion, but my customary greeting faltered at the sight of his pensive yellow eyes. I didn't know what questions were running between those ears of his, but they cast a shadow over his face – one which caused tendrils of dread to start poking at my stomach.

"Yoruichi?" murmured Chad, having noticed the cat's appearance as well. His head snapped up, all expression falling away until he could study the room with a neutral mask.

He cleared his throat softly, "I apologize for disrupting your meal, but I need Orihime, Chad and Hiwarai to accompany me."

"What?! Why?" Uryuu exclaimed, doubtlessly scandalized by his own exclusion - the great Ishida. I tucked my chin against my shoulder, hoping to hide my smirk. Sometimes the man was too cocky for his own good. Huh, kind of reminds me of a certain someone...

The cat said over his shoulder as he escorted the three of us into the hall, "There's nothing for you to worry about, Uryuu. I just need to discuss a few things with these three."

We trailed after Yoruichi, leaving a sputtering Ishida in our wake. As I walked down the corridor, I fell to the back of the group and Orihime slowed to keep pace beside me. She whispered, "You shouldn't let it get to you."

I looked at her confused, and she gave me a small smile in return, "What Uryuu said. I don't think you should let it get to you."

Of course she'd see that little bit of uncertainty in me, no matter how hard I tried to hide it. I forget, every once in a while, that she's known _me_ as long as I've known _her_.

I turned my head and closed my eyes, gathering all the knowing that I hid within my soul to utter these words in truth, "I won't."

Though I would look back upon this moment, and wonder why she didn't tell me about her own spirits – why she didn't reassure me with proof that there can be separate entities of a single soul – Orihime would later come to say this:

"In that moment, I could tell, that you needed faith far more than you needed facts."

And you know what? She was right.

…

When Yoruichi had called us away, I'd thought it was to find a room to quietly inform Chad of our new…natures. So color me surprised when the cat asked our tall friend to wait for us out in the hall. Chad seemed unfazed by this development; because he is Chad, and Chad is never fazed. Orihime and I, on the other hand, were at a loss when we opened the door to find Kukaku Shiba; especially when the first words out of the woman's mouth were a brusque, "Finally. What'd you little shits do? Take a detour?"

The fireworks expert must find it physically painful to be genial, I think. We shuffled in as she went on to say, "We gotta make this quick Yoruichi – I have preparations to make and too many incompetent underlings to leave unattended."

"Very well," The cat nodded before explaining to both me and Orihime, "Kukaku has agreed to assist me in creating the charms I mentioned yesterday, but first, we require a personal object from the both of you – preferably, one that you can physically wear."

"You can't put the charm on us directly?" I asked, confused.

"No," Kukaku retorted simply, leaving it up to Yoruichi to elaborate with, "As the spell degrades, so too does the item it is ingrained upon. It hardly matters if said item is a human soul – to it, energy is energy. By the time the charm is exhausted, the object you give us will cease to exist. It's a small price to pay for the protection it offers, but, even so, I'd suggest that you give us something expendable."

I looked over myself, considering what I could and could not live without. My clothes were the first thing that came to mind, but then again, I didn't want to get in a situation where I had to change them, and couldn't. The bell my father had given me, which now hung about my neck, wasn't an option. The pack, including its supplies, wasn't going to work either. Also, seeing as I didn't want to be barefoot by the time the spell ended, that meant my flats were out as well.

And my wrist band….No, I won't be using that.

In the end, the only thing left was my favorite headband, which I reluctantly removed from my hair and handed to an impatient Kukaku. I watched curiously as they imprinted the charm upon that tiny bit of cloth. It was a fairly simple ritual, as it turns out. Just a few phrases, an outpouring of soul energy, and boom, they were handing me a talisman.

I tugged my new charm back on, feeling a bit miffed. I mean, shouldn't magic be…I don't know…more magical? True, it isn't _really_ magic, even with all the talk of spells and such, but it's about as close as one can get. Despite my disappointment, I squeaked out a quick thanks. When I got little more than a grunt in return, I wasn't too surprised.

And then, once Orihime's offering (a shoelace) received its own charm, the fireworks expert was out that door without so much as a "Sayonara."

Kukaku Shiba's apparent allergy to social niceties did not make her any less terrifying. Or awesome. It did, however, tend to leave everyone else in a bit of a daze.

I blinked over at Yoruichi, "Now what?"

"Now," the cat replied. "We talk to Chad."

…

The first conversation I ever had with Chad went very much like this one. He asked only a handful of questions, and otherwise seemed content to do little more than sit there and listen. What few words he had to offer were measured and low, rumbling out from his chest as if he had all the time in the world to say them. The expression you could see beyond his curly mop of hair was calm, relaxed even. He was a steady, reliable constant that could make any situation, no matter how chaotic, simpler just for being there.

I can't remember the topic of that long ago conversation, but I recall thinking that Chad very much reminded me of a boulder in a river – a comparison that remains accurate to this day. No matter how high or fast the river runs, it must bend and break and bow around the steadfast rock. All of this I could see reflected in his aura, which was a fittingly matte mixture of grays and browns.

When I first met Chad, near five years ago, he'd been trying to stuff his large frame into a chair about three sizes too small for him. He'd seemed awkward…out of place, and yet he'd fit so perfectly into our little world – like he'd belonged there all along. If you overlapped the Chad of five years ago with the one of the present, it might seem as if he hadn't changed at all. He was still calm and steady and effortlessly kind. He was still a gentle, loyal giant. Chad would always be Chad and I found great comfort in that fact.

And yet, the moment we were finished talking, I knew that something _was_ different – I just couldn't tell what that something was.

"Hiwarai..."

I paused, turning back to look up at Chad as both Orihime and Yoruichi passed us by. I titled my head in question, but he said nothing more than that. Just my name. Over the years, I'd noticed several such moments, when it seemed like he didn't have the energy or will to drag the words out of his mouth and yet still wanted to speak them. Living around such…vocal people can sometimes make you forget that others can say an awful lot with silence.

"Chad?" I asked, trying to read him, trying to understand. Was he worried about me? Scared?

Orihime called my name from the hall, and I swiveled to face the door, "I'll be there in a moment Ori."

I turned around again, only to take a step back in surprise. Chad had raised his hand, stretching it out toward me, as if he'd gone to touch my arm to get my attention and then stopped. I let out a shaky laugh, feeling silly for being startled by _Chad_ of all people. My laughter trailed off as his hand continued to hang there.

"Chad…?" Tension curled its fingers under my ribcage when he offered not even a twitch in response. He stared down at his hand, with an intensity I'd never before see. It almost seemed like…he was angry. With himself? I couldn't tell, as I've never actually seen Chad mad before. I rushed to reassure him, stumbling over my words as I did so, "Look, it's okay. It takes some getting used to – the whole no touching thing. No need to feel guilty. I mean, this all pretty new and sometimes even _I_ forget!"

For a second I thought he hadn't heard me, but then he sighed and seemed to kinda…deflate. His hand dropped away and I felt the tightness in my chest ease. He shifted to the side and started for the door, apparently feeling bad enough about the accident to want to put some space between us. I appreciated his consideration, but I hoped he knew that I wasn't mad about it.

"Chad?"

He slowed to a stop but didn't turn around. I frowned in confusion, "I thought you wanted to ask me something?"

"…It was nothing important," he replied, before calmly walking out the door. I stared after him, at a loss.

There was almost a sense of weight to the place he once stood – like he'd left something behind. I don't know another way to describe it, what with the things he _hadn't_ said somehow managing to take up more space than the things that he _had_. I'd always thought that Chad was easy to read, because he was simple. Not stupid, just…straightforward, honest. Maybe that's why it never once occurred to me that he, of all people, could have secrets. And even then, I thought he'd never be any good at hiding them.

I suppose it's safe to say, that I was wrong on both accounts.

 **A/N: Thanks for reading! Sorry this one is kind of short, guys. I really wanted to get this one out so we could move on with the story. In the next chapter we are heading to the Seireitei, though!**


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